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You are here: Home / Language / How Did the Phrase “Getting The Cold Shoulder” Originate and What Does it Mean?

How Did the Phrase “Getting The Cold Shoulder” Originate and What Does it Mean?

April 3, 2020 by Karen Hill

In Europe during the Middle Ages, the “cold shoulder” had two purposes.

If guests overstayed their welcome they were often served cooked but cold beef shoulder at every meal until they tired of the bland diet and left.

The other “cold shoulder” was leftover mutton that was saved to give to the poor to discourage them from begging at the pantry.

These days, getting “the cold shoulder” means being snubbed.

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Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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