Idiom meaning to relieve tension or awkwardness between…

Idiom meaning to relieve tension or awkwardness between strangers at a meeting or party, often with a joke or small talk. It comes from the practice of clearing a frozen river or harbour so that boats could pass, later the job of strengthened ships. Figurative uses appeared in the sixteenth century, and Shakespeare used it in The Taming of the Shrew. Team games with this purpose are named after it.

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