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break the ice

To remove the tension at a first meeting, at the opening of a party, etc.: “That joke really broke the ice at the conference; we all relaxed afterward.”

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Idioms and Phrases

Make a start, pave the way, as in Newton's theories broke the ice for modern physics . This idiom alludes to breaking ice in a channel so that a ship can pass. [Early 1600s] Also see break ground .

Relax a tense or very formal situation, as in Someone at the conference table will have to break the ice . [Early 1600s]

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

We began with some very brief small talk, which always helps to break the ice before a formal sit down, but we didn't touch the topic at hand until the cameras started rolling.

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Ms Hewitt, from Cambridgeshire, said she always asked for a smaller speculum to be used and for a double appointment to "break the ice" with the nurse.

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Conversation flowed effortlessly at our table, so much so that we didn’t even pull out the question game that Timeleft provides to help break the ice.

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Using shared interests to break the ice on social networking sites can help users overlook other differences at first.

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Older kids might prefer to break the ice by reaching out with a text or via a social media app, Sweeney said.

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break the bank break the news

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