Ice Idioms

Several words have become part of the language in being used in phrases. Last time we looked at ‘sand’ and now look at ‘ice’.

Putting something ‘on ice’, as in keeping it out of the way until required, is first seen in 1890.

Thin ice, used in the figurative sense, appears in print as early as 1884.

To break the ice, as in making the first attempt (usually socially in the modern era), is used as early as 1580. Yet these early usages would invariably be speaking of breaking the ice on the water to permit boats to pass and allow trade to continue.

Ice fishing, and for those who wonder why anyone would be catching ice, it refers to fishing through a hole in the ice, is not described as such before 1869, although undoubtedly the method has been used since pre-history.

Ice-scrapers are first described in 1789, not in reference to clearing a car’s windscreen or defrosting the freezer, it was a tool used in cookery.

Icing, that dreadfully sickly sweet stuff people will insist on coating cakes with, has been seen since 1769. Earlier, and at least from 1723, it was simply described as ‘ice’. Not until 1881 did the alternative ‘frosting’ come into use – and if you think that’s purely a US term, it’s becoming increasingly common in the UK, too.

Nobody used, or at least described, ice-skates until 1690.

Ice as a slang term for diamonds first appears in print in 1906.

Ice cubes, now normally simply said to be ‘ice’, were not described prior to 1902, although there is an advertisement from 1894 which tempts us into buying ‘Artificial Ice in Cubes’ – artificial in the sense of being man-made rather than gathered from natural formations.

The last Ice Age may have ended some eight thousand years ago, but nobody referred to the great freeze as such until 1855.

Ice box was once a storage device for ice, first described in 1839, although today it would be that small freezer area in the refrigerator where trays were once kept to produce ice and which could not be named prior to the invention of the fridge for the home in 1913.

Ice picks are first described in 1858, one wonders what they were called prior to that.

Ice cream has been known as such since 1744, and since 1680 as ‘iced cream’. Note the ice cream cone was not named until 1909.

No vessel was ice bound before 1650.

Ice caps didn’t exist before 1859.

Icicles are first described in the early 14th century.

Icebergs are first known as such in 1820, prior to that the iceberg was a lumpy portion of a glacier. Before that there were other terms used for that which sank the Titanic, sea-hill (1690s), or island of ice (1610s).

Iceberg lettuce, which has never been known to sink any vessel in recorded history, is first named in 1893. (I wonder if they served iceberg lettuce aboard the Titanic?)

Etymological Gems

Following on from previous weeks when I have reproduced the research behind various articles on etymology, I came across the following snippets of information. I have made no notes regarding publication, nor do I remember being asked to write anything or submitting a single paragraph on the subject. I'm now wondering if I have upset an editor by failing to submit anything - in which case I shall probably regret this post!

agate - the English word is from the Latin achates or Greek akhates, both understood as 'the diminutive one'.

amethyst - is from Latin amethystus itself from the Greek amethustos which translates as 'anti-intoxicant', for amethyst was once thought to be a remedy for intoxication.

beryl - can be traced back to Greek beyllos and Sanskrit vaidurya, which is thought to be ultimately from the city of Velur in southern India. The word is also used in Middle Latin berillus, Middle High German berille and French besicles all referring to 'spectacles', all adding support to the idea that beryl was first used for the lens in eyeglasses.

coral - is derived from a Semitic word, seen in Hebrew goral, meaning simply 'pebble'.

cornelian - a variety of chalcedony, derived from Old French cornelle 'cherry' and thus 'cherry-coloured'.

diamond - it may seem strange to suggest this most desirable of gemstones has an idetical etymology to the word 'adamant' yet this is just the case. Diamond came to English from Old French diamant, itself from Latin diamas and Greek adamas meaning 'unbreakable, unyielding'.

garnet - can be traced back to the Old French gernat meaning 'dark red', although it may be even older and share an origin with pomegranate and refer to the shape and colour of the seeds and pulp as being similar.

jade - comes to English from the Spanish (piedra de) ijada meaning '(stone of the) flank', this refers to it being held to be a cure for renal colic.

jet - came to English from Old French jaiet, Latin gagates, and Greek gagates lithos meaning 'the stone of Gages', the name of a town and river in Lycia associated with the stone. It is not used a colour until the fifteenth century.

onyx - is a Latin word derived from the Greek onux 'claw, fingernail'. Hence there is a similarity drawn between the white vein on a pink background found in onyx and the similar marking on a fingernail.

opal - a word which can be traced through Latin opalus and Greek opallios to Sanskrit upala which simply means 'gem, precious stone'.

pearl - there are two equally possible origins for this word, depending upon if this referred to the pearl or to the oyster. If it comes from the pearl, then this would be Vulgar Latin pernula 'sea-mussel' and also used for 'ham' to refer to the shape of the shell. Alternatively it comes from the same source as 'pear', referring to the shape of the pearl.

rhinestone - is literally 'the stone of the Rhine', a literal translation of the French caillou du Rhin and referring to where this artificial gem was first produced near Strasbourg.

ruby - is from Latin rubeus 'red'.

sapphire - another which can be traced back to Sanskrit, here sanipriya meant 'sacred to the planet Saturn'.

topaz - was claimed by Pliny to be named from an island off the coast of Arabia, where it was said to be mined. However most linguists point to Sanskrit tapas meaning 'heat, fire'.