cut no ice
idiom

- to not cause someone to change their opinion or decision

- to fail to make an impression

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary / Collins Dictionary

—
ORIGIN

There are lots of explanations for the origin of this idiom, but most of them cut no ice. Like many idioms, we may assume that for whatever reason, some person uttered this saying one day. Others heard it, liked it, and began using it themselves.

Here’s the earliest found incidence in print from 1874:  “If the village audience maintains a stony silence the lecturer can cut no ice, but once the villager can be drawn into an argument or made to laugh at himself the battle is won.”

The Genesis and Ethics of Conjugal Love, by Andrew Jackson Davis

—
7 MORE ICY PHRASES

- as cold as ice = to be unfeeling and emotionless

- break the ice = to initiate social interaction or get something started

- be on thin ice = to be in a risky situation

- ice queen = an aloof and unfriendly girl or woman

- ice in his/her veins - to be calm and controlled even when under a lot of pressure

- put something on ice = to postpone acting on something

- sell ice to Eskimos =  to be able to sell anything to anyone, even though they don’t need it

—
SYNONYMS

adds no value, amounts to nothing, bears no weight, brings no results, carries no clout (no weight), changes nothing, counts for naught, CUTS NO ICE, doesn't break any ground (bring home the bacon, carry any water, crack the code, cut it, do the trick, fit the bill, doesn't float one's boat, fly, get one anywhere, hit the spot, doesn't hold up, impress, light any fires, make any difference, make a splash, make the grade, make waves, measure up, move the needle, raise an eyebrow, rock the boat, doesn't tick any boxes, doesn't tip the scales, turn any heads, wash), fades into insignificance, fails to deliver (to ignite), falls flat, falls on blind eyes (on deaf ears), goes down/over like a lead balloon, goes in one ear and out the other, has no bearing (no clout, no effect, no pull, no teeth), holds no importance (no sway, no water), is all bark and no bite (a nonstarter, as good as null, is empty talk, is insignificant, is meaningless, is moot), isn't up to snuf (worth a dime, worth a second glance, worth the paper it's written on, worth writing home about), is neither fish nor fowl (neither here nor there, null and void, of no account, of no consequence, unconvincing, worthless), lacks clout (credence, gravity, impact, legs, merit, substance, traction, weight), leaves no mark (one cold, one unimpressed, one wanting), makes no dent (no headway, no impression), means nothing (squat, zilch, zip), misses the mark, moves nobody, offers nothing (zilch), packs no punch, passes unnoticed, rates as zero, rings hollow, sounds hollow, stands for nothing, strikes no chord, takes no effect, turns up empty, won't cut the mustard

—
SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation, say something like:

"Arriving late for a train connection CUTS NO ICE with the German Bundesbahn.”

—
HERZLICHEN DANK to all readers helping me keep OWAD alive with single or monthly donations.

Every month, I spend evening and weekend hours with my family researching and writing your daily OWAD. It remains FREE, AD-free, and ALIVE thanks to voluntary donations from appreciative readers.

If you aren’t already, please also consider supporting us - even the equivalent of a single cup of coffee a month will help us cover mailing, site hosting, and maintenance costs. Just head over to DonorBox:

https://donorbox.org/please-become-a-friend-of-owad-5-3

or bank transfer to Paul Smith
IBAN: DE75 7316 0000 0002 5477 40
Please use your email-address as ‘Verwendungszweck’

Thank you,
Paul