give someone the cold shoulder的意思是“采取冷淡的态度”。shoulder是指“牛羊等连前腿在内的肩肉”,因此,所谓cold shoulde就是“凉了的前腿肉”的意思。古时候有这样的风俗习惯:在招待贵客时,飨以美味佳肴;对于行商和乞丐,则给“凉了的前腿肉”吃。这就是give someone thecold shoulder具有“采取冷淡态度”意思的来源。在日常会话中,give someone the cold shoulder, 既可以指表示冷淡的耸肩动作,也可以指“采取冷淡的态度”。例如: Give someone the cold shoulder means “take a cold attitude.” “Shoulder” refers to “shoulder meat such as cattle and sheep, including the front legs.” Therefore, the so-called cold shoulde means “cold forequarters.” In ancient times, there were customs like this: When entertaining guests, they used delicacies; for traders and lovers, they gave “cold forefingers” to eat. This is the source of giving someone the cold shoulder with the meaning of “take a cool attitude”. In daily conversations, give someone the cold shoulder, which can mean cold shrugging, or “taking a cool attitude”. E.g: