He told a joke to break the ice.
break the ice
idiom B1
To start to get to know people to avoid social awkwardness and formality.
Origin
first recorded 16th c. disputed originFrom ships breaking ice to open a passage for others; used figuratively of social situations since the 16th century (Thomas North's Plutarch, 1579).
At the start of the meeting, she asked everyone a fun question to break the ice.
The teacher used a simple game on the first day to break the ice, hoping the nervous new students would relax and start talking.
- 01
big break
A breakthrough, especially the first big hit of a previously unknown performer or performers in the entertainment industry.
- 02
break a leg
Good luck!; Do your best!; Said to someone wishing they perform well in a theatrical production or comparable endeavor.
- 03
break a sweat
To put effort into something.
- 04
break cover
To disclose one's real thoughts and intentions.
- 05
break down
To give in or give up: relent, concede, surrender.
- 06
break even
To neither gain nor lose money.
- 07
break gates
To enter an Oxford or Cambridge college enclosure after the hour to which a student has been restricted.
- 08
break in
To reach a state of functioning more smoothly through use or wear; to cause (something, or someone, new) to undergo this change.