give someone the cold shoulder
To snub, resist or reject somebody; to regard somebody distantly.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Don't give me the cold shoulder just because I made a mistake.”
“After their argument at the party, she gave him the cold shoulder for the rest of the night.”
“Despite his repeated attempts to apologize for the misunderstanding, his former business partner continued to give him the cold shoulder throughout the meeting.”
first recorded 19th c. folk etymology
Coined or popularised by Sir Walter Scott in The Antiquary (1816) as 'cauld shouther'; the story about serving guests cold mutton shoulder is folk etymology.
- 01
a cold day in July
The time of occurrence of an event that will never happen.
- 02
as if someone owns the place
Alternative form of like someone owns the place.
- 03
beat someone round the ears
To beat (a person) with blows about the head.
- 04
bless someone with
To give or bestow, as a gift from God.
- 05
blow hot and cold
To behave inconsistently; to vacillate or to waver, as between extremes of opinion or emotion.
- 06
bring someone to their knees
To defeat and make submit to orders.
- 07
broad shoulders
the ability to take criticism, or accept responsibility.
- 08
call someone every name in the book
To call someone many abusive names.
Last updated August 10, 2026