cold shoulder

What it means

The cold shoulder is intentional, visible unfriendliness toward someone — often by ignoring them, refusing to make eye contact, or speaking only in short, distant phrases. It's a common reaction in personal disputes, after arguments, or when someone wants to communicate disapproval without an open confrontation.

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Examples

• She's been giving me the cold shoulder since the argument.
• Don't take it personally — he gives everyone the cold shoulder when he's stressed.
• I got the cold shoulder from the whole team that week.
• After her comment, his cold shoulder was impossible to miss.

Where it comes from

A 19th-century English expression, possibly linked to the practice of serving an unwelcome guest a cold shoulder of mutton — a cheap, leftover cut — instead of a freshly cooked hot meal. The figurative meaning of social rejection was firmly established in English by the 1830s.

Related idioms