Give someone the cold shoulder means to ignore someone deliberately and be cold towards them. People do it because they are hurt or dislike someone: they don't say hello, give short answers or turn away. The person being ignored can say I got the cold shoulder.
When would you say give someone the cold shoulder?
Write a sentence — we'll check that the expression fits the situation and suggest what to fix.
The check is taking longer than usual. Your feedback will appear here automatically.
give someone the cold shoulder; get the cold shoulder (from someone)
- After our argument, my colleague gave me the cold shoulder for a whole week.
- I said hello at the party, but she gave me the cold shoulder and walked away.
- The new manager got the cold shoulder from the team during his first month.
What changed
First versionAfter the argument she didn't notice me point-blank for a week.
RevisionAfter the argument she gave me the cold shoulder for a week.
Point-blank in English describes a shot fired from very close range or a flat refusal (refuse point-blank). It doesn't combine with notice, so didn't notice me point-blank makes no sense. For ignoring someone on purpose, English has a ready-made idiom: give someone the cold shoulder.
Ignore is more neutral and isn't always about being hurt: you can ignore an email simply because you forgot about it. Giving someone the cold shoulder is always deliberate and only about people: She didn't just ignore my message, she gave me the cold shoulder at work too. In an essay, write ignore or be unfriendly towards instead of the idiom.
Your turn
My best friend is still upset that I forgot her birthday, so she's been ___ all week.
Show the answer
giving me the cold shoulder — The friend is upset and has been ignoring the speaker all week: giving me the cold shoulder. Giving me a hand means “helping me”, and a forgotten birthday is hardly a reason to help.
Describe a time when someone deliberately ignored you. Say who it was and what caused it.
My flatmate gave me the cold shoulder for two days because I ate her birthday cake without asking.
Learn to use new words without mistakes
Write phrases with the words you are learning. LetsWords shows mistakes in usage and grammar, suggests corrections and explains them, and review helps the words stick.