give someone the cold shoulder
English
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give someone the cold shoulder
Where it comes from
First recorded use of the expression was in 1816 by Sir Walter Scott in Scots (“The Countess’s dislike didna gang farther at first than just showing o’ the cauld shouther”.)
verb gives someone the cold shoulder · giving someone the cold shoulder · gave someone the cold shoulder · given someone the cold shoulder · turn the cold shoulder on someone · turn a cold shoulder on someone
- To snub, resist or reject somebody; to regard somebody distantly. I must have made him angry with my comment. He’s been giving me the cold shoulder ever since I said it.
Translations
Every language
verb snub
| Español | dar la espalda, hacer el vacío |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 白い目で見る shiroi me de miru |
| 中文 | 不理不睬 bùlǐbùcǎi, 冷落 lěngluò, 冷淡 lěngdàn |
| Français | être en froid avec quelqu'un, battre froid à quelqu'un |
| Deutsch | die kalte Schulter zeigen |
| Русский | оказа́ть холо́дный приём okazátʹ xolódnyj prijóm |
Talk about this word "give someone the cold shoulder." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/give%20someone%20the%20cold%20shoulder. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. give someone the cold shoulder. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/give%20someone%20the%20cold%20shoulder "give someone the cold shoulder." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/give%20someone%20the%20cold%20shoulder.Cite this
@misc{give_someone_the_cold_shoulder_2026,
title = {give someone the cold shoulder},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/give%20someone%20the%20cold%20shoulder},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
