23. Break the Ice
Break the ice means to start a project or initiate a friendship. Port cities that used to trade suffered in winter as frozen rivers prevented commercial ships from entering. This was of course before the days of trains and cars. ‘Icebreakers’ which were small ships, rescued the icebound ship by breaking the ice and making a path which they could follow. Break the ice is now customary before beginning a project and any type of business arrangements today.