cold as ice

Also found in: Wikipedia.

(as) cold as ice

1. Extremely cold in temperature. My feet are cold as ice after being outside for hours. I'm wearing three sweaters because it's as cold as ice in here! It's as cold as ice in here because the heater's broken.

2. Distant or unfriendly in temperament. Is Heather mad at me? She was as cold as ice when I tried to talk to her earlier. Because Mary Anne tended to be cold as ice around me, I always thought she didn't like me. Turns out, she's just shy. Mom and Grandma have been cold as ice to each other all day. I guess they still haven't reconciled after their fight on Thanksgiving.

3. Utterly unfeeling or unsympathetic. He looked at me with eyes as cold as ice, and I realized that he had no intention of helping me. Whoever masterminded this heinous prank must be cold as ice. Looking into his eyes, I saw his heart was as cold as ice.

cold as ice

1. If someone or something is as cold as ice, they are very cold. A hand that felt as cold as ice touched her forehead. Note: People also use the much more frequent adjective ice-cold to mean the same thing. He took a mouthful of the ice cold beer. He felt a lash of fear, running ice-cold down his spine.

2. If a person or their words are as cold as ice, they are very unfriendly. The next morning she sat, cold as ice, through breakfast.