Meaning
A deliberate display of unfriendliness or indifference toward someone, usually by ignoring them or being noticeably distant.
Unlike simple rudeness, giving someone the cold shoulder is a controlled, often silent signal of disapproval or displeasure — the coldness itself is the message.
Origin
The popular story that hosts once served unwelcome guests a “cold shoulder of mutton” to hint it was time to leave is a charming but almost certainly invented explanation, often wrongly credited to Walter Scott. The real earliest evidence is an 1808 humor piece in Cheshire’s “Chester Chronicle” describing a “cold shoulder” treatment of an unwanted visitor, and the Oxford English Dictionary’s first citation comes from Scott’s own 1816 novel “The Antiquary,” where he glosses it simply as appearing “cold and reserved” — describing a physical gesture, a shoulder literally turned away, rather than any dish served at the table.
Examples
Ever since the argument, she’s been giving him the cold shoulder.
The whole team gave the new manager the cold shoulder for weeks.
I don’t know what I did, but he’s clearly giving me the cold shoulder.
A: “Why isn’t Maria talking to you?” B: “No idea, she’s just been giving me the cold shoulder all week.”
Frequently asked questions
What does 'Cold shoulder' mean?
A deliberate display of unfriendliness or indifference toward someone, usually by ignoring them or being noticeably distant.
Unlike simple rudeness, giving someone the cold shoulder is a controlled, often silent signal of disapproval or displeasure — the coldness itself is the message.