Choose the correct meaning of the given idiom/phrase from the options:
"Give someone the cold shoulder"
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
Correct Answer
To ignore someone
Explanation
The question asks for the true meaning of the idiom "Give someone the cold shoulder." To solve this quickly for an exam, identify the emotional warmth or temperature associated with the phrase.
In English idioms, "warmth" is connected to friendliness and hospitality (e.g., a warm welcome), while "coldness" is connected to unfriendliness, rejection, and detachment. To "give someone the cold shoulder" means to deliberately ignore them, act completely cold or distant toward them, or refuse to speak to them because you are upset or unfriendly.
Let's look at why the other options are incorrect:
"To treat someone warmly" and "To make someone comfortable" are the exact opposite reactions to this phrase.
"To scold someone" means to verbally reprimand or criticize someone angrily, which is an active confrontation, whereas giving the cold shoulder is a passive act of rejection.
Because ignoring someone matches the concept of showing emotional coldness, Option 2 is the correct choice.
Key Points
Idioms using the word "cold" typically revolve around concepts of social exclusion, lack of sympathy, or deliberate isolation.
The phrase is believed to come from an old custom where a host would serve an unwelcome guest a cold piece of meat (like a cold shoulder of mutton) to subtly signal that it was time for them to leave.