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  1. #1
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    "Don't Cut No Ice!"



    So We have all heard the above saying I watched Kojac!
    But can anyone tell me how the Phrase originated?
    Grizzly



  2. #2
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    Re: "Don't Cut No Ice!"

    Quote Originally Posted by Grizzly View Post
    So We have all heard the above saying I watched Kojac!
    But can anyone tell me how the Phrase originated?
    Grizzly
    TO NOT CUT ICE or TO CUT NO ICE is the negative of the less heard expression ‘to cut ice’ (make an impression, influence) and means to carry no weight, to fail to impress, to have no effect or influence on, to leave unmoved, to make no difference to. “Your lame excuse cuts no ice with me.” The expression dates from the late 19th century and apparently owes its coinage to the fact that only keen and strong instruments can make an impression on the hard surface of ice. Related to this, there are four possibilities that have been proposed for performing this cutting act ineffectually. 1) the prerefrigeration act of cutting blocks of ice (the larger blocks coming from ponds) with a sharp tool for use in “iceboxes.” 2) An icebreaker not being able to cut through the ice and break up ice floes as it should 3) the inept ice skater trying to skate or cut figures on the ice 4) the act of trying to cut throw the hard shell of a person who was as cold and hard (as indifferent as) ice.

  3. #3
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    Re: "Don't Cut No Ice!"

    .

    It's funny how we use terms and sometimes give no thought
    to where the word or phrase comes from.

    I like the idea of the ice cutter. I researched it once a long time
    ago and we imported 500,000 tons of block ice in the late 1800's
    from the USA and Norway.

    That was before Perkins invented the Ammonia ice plant.

    I imagine a saw used for cutting ice would blunt quickly, so a blunt
    Blade would cut no ice?

    Regards

    Rob
    .
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