Cold shoulder
Encyclopedia
"Cold shoulder" is a phrase
used to express dismissal or the act of disregarding someone. Its origin is attributed to both 19th-century literary works and as a result of folk etymology
.
by Sir Walter Scott in 1816:
where "cauld" is the equivalent of cold
and "shouther" means shoulder
, which is further supported by contextual usage in The Antiquary. Neither eating nor food is expressed in the passage, but the phrase is presented in a rather allusive way. The phrase also appears in one of Scott's later works, St. Ronan's Well
and after the 1820s it had traveled to America. Dated June 1839 in a letter to the editor in the New England
newspaper The Bangor Daily Whig and Courier:
Another explanation is that the phrase stems from a particular way to serve food to an unwanted guest. In this case, "cold shoulder" refers to serving of an inferior cut of meat, namely a "cold shoulder of mutton" to an uninvited guest, as opposed to serving a hot meal or roast that was fresh out of the oven to an invitee, which was customary at the time. This acted as both a direct and subtle means to let the guest know that he was or had become unwelcome, and had extended his stay.
Yet, a different source claims that explanations other than a fairly simple one may be the outgrowth of a very literal action: keeping one's back towards, or in the least a shoulder between, a person one was trying to avoid.
One source contests that with the earliest citations coming from Sir Walter Scott, who also coined several other phrases, and not being in context with any food, that the attribution of the phrase coming from the serving of cold mutton shoulders is a matter of folk etymology, and that the source originates with Scott himself.
Phrase
In everyday speech, a phrase may refer to any group of words. In linguistics, a phrase is a group of words which form a constituent and so function as a single unit in the syntax of a sentence. A phrase is lower on the grammatical hierarchy than a clause....
used to express dismissal or the act of disregarding someone. Its origin is attributed to both 19th-century literary works and as a result of folk etymology
False etymology
Folk etymology is change in a word or phrase over time resulting from the replacement of an unfamiliar form by a more familiar one. Unanalyzable borrowings from foreign languages, like asparagus, or old compounds such as samblind which have lost their iconic motivation are...
.
Early use
Although the exact origin is disputed, the first occurrence of the phrase "cold shoulder" appearing in print is in a Scottish dialect, from The AntiquaryThe Antiquary
The Antiquary is a novel by Sir Walter Scott about several characters including an antiquary: an amateur historian, archaeologist and collector of items of dubious antiquity. Although he is the eponymous character, he is not necessarily the hero, as many of the characters around him undergo far...
by Sir Walter Scott in 1816:
where "cauld" is the equivalent of cold
Cold
Cold describes the condition of low temperature.Cold may also refer to:*Common cold, a contagious viral infectious disease of the upper respiratory system*Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease...
and "shouther" means shoulder
Shoulder
The human shoulder is made up of three bones: the clavicle , the scapula , and the humerus as well as associated muscles, ligaments and tendons. The articulations between the bones of the shoulder make up the shoulder joints. The major joint of the shoulder is the glenohumeral joint, which...
, which is further supported by contextual usage in The Antiquary. Neither eating nor food is expressed in the passage, but the phrase is presented in a rather allusive way. The phrase also appears in one of Scott's later works, St. Ronan's Well
St. Ronan's Well
St. Ronan's Well is a novel by Sir Walter Scott. It is the only novel he wrote with a 19th century setting.-Plot introduction:The novel concerns the rivalry of two men: Valentine Bulmer, the Earl of Etherington, and his half-brother Francis Tyrrel. Both wish to marry Miss Clara Mowbray, who is the...
and after the 1820s it had traveled to America. Dated June 1839 in a letter to the editor in the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
newspaper The Bangor Daily Whig and Courier:
Another explanation is that the phrase stems from a particular way to serve food to an unwanted guest. In this case, "cold shoulder" refers to serving of an inferior cut of meat, namely a "cold shoulder of mutton" to an uninvited guest, as opposed to serving a hot meal or roast that was fresh out of the oven to an invitee, which was customary at the time. This acted as both a direct and subtle means to let the guest know that he was or had become unwelcome, and had extended his stay.
Yet, a different source claims that explanations other than a fairly simple one may be the outgrowth of a very literal action: keeping one's back towards, or in the least a shoulder between, a person one was trying to avoid.
One source contests that with the earliest citations coming from Sir Walter Scott, who also coined several other phrases, and not being in context with any food, that the attribution of the phrase coming from the serving of cold mutton shoulders is a matter of folk etymology, and that the source originates with Scott himself.
Modern day usage
Regardless of a definitive etymology, the phrase "cold shoulder" has been used in many literary works, and has entered into the vernacular. It has been used as a description of aloofness and disdain, a contemptuous look over one's shoulder, and even in the context of a woman attempting to decline the advances of an aggressive man. Overall, it remains widely popular as a phrase for describing the act of ignoring someone or something, or giving an unfriendly response.See also
- A phrase also coined by Sir Walter Scott, "lock, stock, and barrel".
- Scottish EnglishScottish EnglishScottish English refers to the varieties of English spoken in Scotland. It may or may not be considered distinct from the Scots language. It is always considered distinct from Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic language....