frosty relationship
1
4.8
- noun
- /ˈfrɔsti rɪˈleɪʃənʃɪp/
:
relación fría
Examples
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For all the talk of a frosty relationship between the president and Boehner, top White House aides considered the Ohio Republican a reasonable individual amidst a caucus of craziness.
Blog text (7) -
The two colleagues have maintained a frosty relationship since their disagreement last year.
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After years of tension, their frosty relationship finally began to improve during the negotiations.
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The player's frosty relationship with the coach made it difficult for him to get playing time.
Synonyms
7
3.2
Lack of warmth or friendliness in someone's behaviour
1
5.8
A cold, unfriendly feeling between people
A very cold feeling in the air, like on winter mornings
Antonyms
How Warm
26
2.8
2
5.7
- Formal
394
3.0
1
4.8
129
5.4
147
4.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
The adjective 'frosty' (unfriendly, distant) combined with 'relationship' yields the meaning directly: a relationship lacking warmth or friendliness. This adjective+noun composition is a straightforward, cross-linguistically common metaphor (cold = unfriendly), so a B1 learner who knows both words can reliably infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Frosty relationship comes from the image of frost, the thin ice that covers plants and makes them look cold and still. So a frosty relationship is a relationship where people are 'not friendly' and show little warmth.