Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Word Origins 85. The word origin today is cold
shoulder. Okay. Let's take a look at the note here. The cold shoulder is a noun phrase
that means that someone treats a person who they know in a very unfriendly way
without any emotion at all. It varies from the phrase to give someone the
silent treatment. Yeah. I know sometimes students might get confused between
these two a little bit as well. When one gives another person the silent
treatment, he or she refuses to say any words. They say they don't say anything
at all to that person. If someone gives another person the cold shoulder, he or
she is more likely to give unemotional one or two word answers and you know, not
smile at all. So cold shoulder they just may look at you or they may look the
other way. They... if you talk to them they won't answer at all basically. Or maybe
just give you a dirty look. I don't know maybe possibly. But if someone's giving
you the cold shoulder, they, they won't smile. They'll have a very straight face.
No. Okay. No. No really. That's all right. No. They give answers like that. That's what
they do. So they give very, very short brief very not warm, very cold sort of
unemotional answers. That's the way we usually say that. Someone is giving you
the cold shoulder. Okay. Let's continue. The idiom to give someone the cold
shoulder first became popular in the early 1800s and the earliest citing is
in writings by Sir Walter Scott. Okay. Many claim the origin came from a custom
at the time that if a visitor was welcomed , he was served you know a big
hot meal. You know, come on in give him a nice big hot meal. However if he was not
welcomed, he or she would only be served the coldest toughest part of the animal
usually mutton. And it was proof that it was an inferior meal and it was proof
that you they weren't really that happy. Well I guess you should be glad that they gave
you anything at all. But it was proof that they weren't happy. So that's, that's
how it ... that's how it came about. So that's why I say somebody gave you the
cold shoulder. They didn't treat you like a nice warm guest. So thus, the phrase a
cold shoulder was born. So this is what they say. They say this is where it came
from. Okay. So the cold shoulder refers to the
cold shoulder of an animal. A piece of meat that was supposed to be a tough
part, not good quality. Okay. Let's continue. We got three examples to cover this.
Example number one. I don't know what I did wrong, she has been giving me the
cold shoulder for two days now. So again probably the same way giving very short
brief. very unfriendly sort of answers to someone. Or number two. I tried to
apologize , but she didn't say much. Well she didn't say much meaning , she probably said
a little but not, not very much at all. She gave me the cold shoulder. Okay and
number three here. I know you strongly dislike him,
if you encounter him at the party just give him the cold shoulder. Yeah. So don't
face him. Okay. Anyway, I hope you got it. I hope was clear. I hope it was informative.
Thank you for your time. Bye-bye.