ice-cream social

American  

noun

Chiefly Northern, North Midland, and Western U.S.

1. a social gathering, usually to raise money for a local church or school, where ice cream is the principal refreshment.

---

Etymology

Origin of ice-cream social

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900

Example Sentences

Napolitano was responding to a Wall Street Journal op-ed titled, "Will Courts Pick the Next President," in which the newspaper's Editorial board writes, "If the election is close, the fallout could make Bush v. Gore look like an ice-cream social."

From Fox News

After her porch talk, Williamson and her team drove to a coffee shop in Salem, on the way to their next stop at an ice-cream social.

From New York Times

The ice-cream social has become an annual ritual; this Independence Day, Spalding and Castle gave away more than four hundred sundaes.

From The New Yorker

On their first Fourth of July in town, Castle and Spalding threw an ice-cream social, complete with gallons of homemade toppings, then sat around worrying that no one would show up.

From The New Yorker

Some more subdued events — such as a brightly lit ice-cream social hosted by Insurance Commissioner Jones — also proved popular with delegates.

From Seattle Times