on ice
Idioms-
In reserve or readiness. This idiom often occurs with put , meaning “to place in reserve,” as in Let's put that proposal on ice until we have the funds to implement it . This usage alludes to putting things in cold storage for preservation. [ Slang ; late 1800s]
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In prison, as in He's been on ice for ten years . This usage may be derived in part from the slang term cooler for “jail.” [ Slang ; c. 1930]
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With a good chance of success, as in I'm sure she'll win—it's on ice . [ Slang ; early 1900s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“And so right now, we put him on ice, and trying to let the soreness dissipate. So, given everything that he’s gone through with the shoulder, we wanted to make sure that we kind of pushed pause, so I don’t know when he’s going to start throwing again, but I think it is a setback unfortunately.”
From Los Angeles Times
The 1980 ‘Miracle on Ice’ team had a player with the same name as this year’s star.
Forty-six years to the day after the Miracle on Ice, a same-named Olympian brings gold and glory to America.
The 1980 ‘Miracle on Ice’ team had a player with the same name as this year’s star.
The 1980 ‘Miracle on Ice’ team had a player with the same name as this year’s star.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
