ice-box
Definition
- Noun:
- A container or appliance for keeping food cold: An "ice-box" is a cabinet or box insulated and cooled by ice, historically used before modern refrigerators, to preserve food and beverages.
- A prison cell (slang): In informal American English, "ice-box" refers to a jail cell, especially a cold or isolated one.
Usage Examples
Noun (food preservation):
- In the old farmhouse, the milk was stored in the ice-box to keep it fresh. (A wooden or metal box cooled by a block of ice.)
- Before electricity, every kitchen had an ice-box that required regular deliveries of ice. (An early refrigeration device.)
Noun (slang for prison):
- The criminal was thrown into the ice-box for the night. (A cold, isolated jail cell.)
- He spent three days in the ice-box before his trial. (A prison cell, often used in informal speech.)
Advanced Usage
"to be on the ice-box": to be temporarily unavailable or out of use (rare, informal).
- The project is on the ice-box until we get more funding. (The project is paused or shelved.)
"ice-box effect": a term in psychology describing the perceived emotional coldness or lack of warmth in a person or situation.
- After the argument, there was an ice-box effect between them. (A cold, distant atmosphere.)
Variants and Related Words
Icebox (n): a variant spelling of "ice-box," more common in modern usage.
- She opened the icebox to get some vegetables. (Refrigerator, in casual American English.)
Ice (n): frozen water; used in compound words like "icebox."
- Box (n): a container with flat sides.
Synonyms
- Refrigerator: a modern electric appliance for cooling food.
- Cooler: a portable container for keeping items cold, often with ice.
- Fridge: a common abbreviation for refrigerator.
Related Idioms
"Cold as an ice-box": extremely cold.
- The room was cold as an ice-box, so she put on a sweater. (Very chilly, like the inside of an ice-box.)
"In the ice-box": in prison or in a state of isolation.
- He’s been in the ice-box for a month now. (In jail, in slang usage.)