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Reader question:
In this sentence – These arguments cut little ice with the Democrats – what
does "cut little ice with" mean?
My comments:
It means "these arguments" fail to have any influence on "Democrats". In
other words, the Democrats are not impressed with these arguments. That is to
say their opinion won't be swayed by these arguments.
"Cut little ice" is a varied form of the American idiom "cut no ice." There
are various explanations as to the origin of this odd-sounding idiom, some more
plausible than others. One of the more plausible explanations points to ice
skating. When one goes skating on ice, they leave a track as the blades of the
skates cut into the ice. However, if the blades are not sharp, they won't make a
sharp impression, hence the saying.
If a fact/argument cuts no ice with someone, it means they are not having
an effect.
Here are a few media examples involving the idiom in its various forms,
e.g. cut no ice, cut little ice, (not) cut any ice.
1. cut no ice:
Mr Blair's proposal for a fundamental review cut no ice with the French
president, Jacques Chirac, who met the German chancellor, Gerhardt Schroder, in
Paris yesterday.
- Blair offers rebate deal as bait for EU reforms (Guardian, June 11,
2005)
2. cut little ice:
Hand-picked by Gordon Brown, McCarthy usually stays out of the limelight –
perhaps one reason why, like Darling, he discovered his 'keep calm' message cut
little ice with the public.
- Gatekeepers failed to make the Rock solid (Observer, September 23,
2007).
3. (not) cut any ice:
None of this has cut any ice with Greenpeace which, in a statement in June,
said: "Despite its claims to be green, BA (British Airways) is one of the worst
offenders, opening new and unnecessary domestic routes, aggressively promoting
domestic routes, fiercely opposing any measures that will curb growth in
emissions, keeping a tight hold over government policy and lobbying hard for
airport expansions."
- Green skies? (Telegraph.co.uk, June 26, 2007).
About the author:
Zhang Xin is Trainer at chinadaily.com.cn. He has been with China Daily
since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him
at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a
future column. |
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发表于 2016-7-9 23:40:44