Winter Idioms

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Winter won’t officially come for another month, but here in England the days are getting shorter and the weather colder. We’re turning on the central heating, digging out our scarves and gloves, and sipping hot chocolate. With that in mind, here are twenty five idioms about cold weather to learn while nestled under a cosy blanket!

a cold snap – a sudden and brief period of cold weather
a snowball’s chance in hell – no chance at all
as pure as driven snow – innocent, virtuous, flawless
cold comfort – not much of a comfort, an insufficient consolation
cold light of day – a time and place from which problems can be objectively considered
in cold blood – ruthlessly
left out in the cold – neglected
on thin ice – in an unstable or risky situation
snowball effect – an escalating process, something that starts off small but grows very quickly as it picks up momentum
the tip of the iceberg – the small detectable part of a much larger and hidden problem
to add fuel to the fire – to intensify a conflict, to make a bad situation worse
to be snowed under – to be overloaded with work
to break out in a cold sweat – to sweat due to fear or anxiety
to break the ice – to do or say something to relieve the tension
to freeze one’s blood – to be filled with sudden fear or horror
to freeze someone out – to exclude or reject someone from a group
to freeze up – to find yourself unable to do/say anything because of panic
to get cold feet – to lose your nerve
to give someone the cold shoulder – to snub someone, to be intentionally unfriendly
to go cold turkey – to abruptly and completely give something up
to go hot and cold – to feel suddenly shocked or scared
to pour/throw cold water on something – to discourage/put a stop to something
to put something on ice – to put something aside for the moment, to delay something
under the weather – unwell or in low spirits
when hell freezes over – never

If you enjoyed this post, why not check out our other articles about idioms?

27 Nov 2017
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Winter Idioms

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