cold

 
Pronunciation: /kəʊld/

adjective

  • 1of or at a low or relatively low temperature, especially when compared with the human body: a freezing cold day it’s cold outside a sharp, cold wind
  • (of a person) feeling uncomfortably cold: she was cold, and I put some more wood on the fire
  • (of food or drink) served or consumed without being heated or after cooling: a cold drink serve hot or cold
  • feeling or characterized by fear or horror: a cold shiver of fear
  • [as complement] informal unconscious: she was out cold
  • dead: lying cold and stiff in a coffin
  • 2lacking affection or warmth of feeling; unemotional: how cold and calculating he was her cold black eyes
  • not affected by emotion; objective: cold statistics
  • sexually unresponsive; frigid: Elise was cold and barren
  • depressing or dispiriting; not suggestive of warmth: a cold light streamed through the window
  • (of a colour) containing pale blue or grey.
  • 3(of the scent or trail of a hunted person or animal) no longer fresh and easy to follow: the trail went cold
  • [predic.] (in children’s games) far from finding or guessing what is sought.
  • 4 [as complement] without preparation or rehearsal: they went into the test cold
  • informal at one’s mercy: they had him cold

noun

  • 1 [mass noun] a low temperature; cold weather; a cold environment: my teeth chattered with the cold they nearly died of cold
  • 2a common infection in which the mucous membrane of the nose and throat becomes inflamed, typically causing running at the nose, sneezing, and a sore throat: Suzie’s got a cold a bad cold [as modifier]: a cold remedy

adverb

North American informal
  • completely; entirely: we stopped cold behind a turn in the staircase

Phrases

(as) cold as ice (or stone or the grave etc.)

very cold: her hand was as cold as ice

catch a cold

(also catch cold)
become infected with a cold.
encounter difficulties: the investors who have put up around $30 million could catch a cold

cold comfort

poor or inadequate consolation: another drop in the inflation rate was cold comfort for the 2.74 million jobless

cold feet

loss of nerve or confidence: after arranging to meet I got cold feet and phoned her saying I was busy

the cold shoulder

a show of intentional unfriendliness; rejection: the new England manager gave him the cold shoulder

cold-shoulder someone

reject or be deliberately unfriendly to someone: she was cold-shouldered by Boston society as a pushy outsider

cold steel

weapons such as swords or knives collectively: I say to you, give lawbreakers cold steel!

in cold blood

without feeling or mercy; ruthlessly: the government forces killed them in cold blood

in the cold light of day

when one has had time to consider a situation objectively: in the cold light of day it all seemed so ridiculous

out in the cold

ignored; neglected: the talks left the French out in the cold

throw (or pour) cold water on

be discouraging or negative about: she had poured cold water on the idea

Derivatives

coldish

adjective

coldness

noun

Origin:

Old English cald, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch koud and German kalt, also to Latin gelu 'frost'