cold fish

Thân thiện

She always seemed like a cold fish at social gatherings.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • An aloof, unemotional, or unfriendly person: A "cold fish" is a person who appears distant, reserved, and shows little warmth, affection, or enthusiasm in their interactions with others. They are often perceived as unapproachable or indifferent.

Usage

• The term is used as a countable noun to describe a person's character or demeanor. It is typically used in informal contexts and carries a negative connotation, implying a lack of warmth or friendliness that makes social interaction difficult.
• It is often used with verbs like "be," "seem like," or "call someone a..."

Examples

• Noun:
  • Don't expect a hug from him; he's a real cold fish.
  • She seemed like such a cold fish at the party, barely speaking to anyone.
  • I tried to be friendly with our new neighbor, but he's a bit of a cold fish.

Advanced Usage

• "to be a bit of a cold fish": This phrase is often used to soften the criticism, suggesting the person is somewhat unfriendly or unemotional, but not extremely so.
  • The manager is efficient but a bit of a cold fish; he never asks about our weekends.

Variants and Related Words

• Aloof (adj): Not friendly or forthcoming; cool and distant.
  • His aloof manner made him hard to get to know.
• Unemotional (adj): Not having or showing strong feelings.
  • She gave an unemotional response to the bad news.

Synonyms

• Stoic: A person who can endure pain or hardship without showing their feelings or complaining.
• Iceberg: (Informal) A person who is cold and unemotional.
• Stiff: A person who is not relaxed or friendly in manner.

Antonyms

• Warm person: A friendly and affectionate individual.
• People person: Someone who enjoys and is good at interacting with others.
• Extrovert: An outgoing, socially confident person.

Idioms and Related Phrases

• Cold as ice: Extremely cold in manner or feeling.
  • Her stare was as cold as ice.
• To give someone the cold shoulder: To intentionally ignore someone or treat them in an unfriendly way.
  • After the argument, she gave him the cold shoulder for a week.

Học thuật

Noun

1. an aloof unemotional person