cold as a witch's kiss
- idiom
- Literature
- The manager's response was cold as a witch's kiss, offering no comfort or support.
Examples
-
After their argument, she remained cold as a witch's kiss, refusing to acknowledge his attempts to make amends.
-
Her eyes were cold as a witch's kiss, betraying no sign of emotion.
-
He spoke to me in a tone that was cold as a witch's kiss.
-
Her response was cold as a witch's kiss.
-
Why is she so cold as a witch's kiss today?
-
When he heard the news, his reaction was cold as a witch's kiss, leaving everyone in the room feeling uncomfortable.
-
The teacher's demeanor was cold as a witch's kiss, making it clear that she was not interested in engaging with the students.
Synonyms
372
4.4
Unfriendly and distant in feeling or action
78
6.1
Showing no pity and acting cruel on purpose
22
4.1
Very cold with no warmth left
16
3.3
Cold and unfriendly in tone or manner
13
5.9
Not showing sympathy or care for other people's feelings
10
3.6
Unfriendly and showing little warmth towards other people
7
5.1
Not warm or friendly in manner
7
6.5
Showing no feeling or sympathy
5
3.5
Not friendly or warm toward other people
5
6.0
Showing no care or sympathy for other people
4
7.2
Not showing any feeling or kindness to others
4
7.5
Very cold and unfriendly in the way someone behaves or looks
3
7.6
Not showing strong feeling when judging something
3
5.2
Not friendly or warm in how someone acts
1
4.7
Very low in temperature and clearly unfriendly
1
9.9
Acting kind but not showing real care
1
8.7
Very formal and cold in a way that makes people feel unwelcome
Does not feel or show care for other people
Antonyms
How Unfriendly
Surface Forms
Morphology
cold + as + a + witch's + kiss
The adjective 'cold' plus the simile marker 'as' already signals an intensified sense of unfriendliness that a B1 learner who knows the words can grasp (i.e. 'very cold' in manner). However, 'witch's kiss' is a culturally loaded, metaphorical image whose specific connotations are not predictable from 'witch' + 'kiss' alone, so the full nuance requires prior exposure.
Etymology
The idiom cold as a witch's kiss comes from old stories where witches were said to be cold and a witch's kiss felt like a curse. That image of a cold, cursed kiss helps explain why the phrase means 'very unfriendly' or 'emotionally distant'.