informal to make people feel more friendly and willing to talk to each other 打破冷场[僵局]
Sam’s arrival broke the ice and people began to talk and laugh.
萨姆的到来打破了沉默,大家开始又说又笑起来。
Examples from the Corpus
break the ice• That always seems to happen when you break the ice.• This gambit nevertheless breaks the ice, and they begin by discussing the merits of variousbrands of scotch.• Humour Humour can be an excellentbehaviour for easingtensions and breaking the ice between people.• I tried to break the ice by offering her a drink, but she said no.• In the winter, she rose early to break the ice in the washingbowls.• To break the ice, the dormleader asked us to tell the group what our favorite home-cooked meal was.• She helps break the ice when I am interviewing.• We broke the ice which held our relations in a paralysinggrip.• I have to break the ice with a long pole before I can lower a bucket into water.