ice breaking
Starting awkward conversations
Ice breaking is the act of initiating conversation or interaction in an awkward or unfamiliar social situation.
The metaphor treats social tension as a frozen surface that must be broken through before warmer exchange can flow: We played a few games for ice breaking before the workshop began.
The term appears most often as a noun phrase or modifier: ice-breaking activities, ice-breaking questions.
Related to the verb phrase break the ice and the noun icebreaker.
- thawReturn to liquid
- getting to knowBecoming familiar with
- meltChange from solid
- crackNarrow break or attempt
- frozenSolidified by extreme cold
introductions · socializing · awkward · conversation · warm-up · social lubricant · first impressions · networking · ship · hull · Arctic · polar · polar expedition · splinter · shatter · ice floe · frost · chill
- canalsGrand Canal, Panama Canal, Suez Canal, Erie Canal, canal boat
- partyingparty animal, socializing, bachelor party, mingling, bachelorette
- martial arts demoskata, forms, sparring, belt testing, high kicks
- ship operationsanchoring, berthing, docking, undocking, mooring
ice breakingsocial withdrawal
Retreating from interpersonal contact
cold shoulder · stonewalling · holding back · keeping to oneself · standoffishness
ice breakingshutting down
Ending operation or activity
clamming up · rebuffing · brushing off · dismissing · turning away
breaking, ices, iced, icing, icier, iciest, iciness, break, breaks