Idioms, aphorisms, or phrases related to ice cream?
March 16, 2023 8:01 AM   Subscribe

Are there other idiomatic phrases related to ice cream that we use in the English language, besides "cherry on top"?

I'm thinking that since ice cream has been around for so long that there just have to be, but I've been unsuccessful at searching this.

I mean, I feel like 100+ many phrases come from sailing; are there any other related to the greatest dessert of all time?
posted by knownassociate to Writing & Language (23 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream?
Let's make like a banana and split...
posted by nkknkk at 8:05 AM on March 16, 2023 [5 favorites]


The use of “vanilla” to mean “plain” seems ice-cream-based?
posted by staggernation at 8:07 AM on March 16, 2023 [13 favorites]


a la mode
posted by Dashy at 8:11 AM on March 16, 2023 [4 favorites]


Ice cream headache
posted by snarfois at 8:34 AM on March 16, 2023


Back in the day (and probably still now but it's less mainstream) there were a lot of variations on "scoops" referring to breasts.
posted by Mchelly at 8:50 AM on March 16, 2023


Ice cream headache

Brain freeze
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:55 AM on March 16, 2023 [3 favorites]


Concrete, though I'm not sure how widespread the term is.
posted by falsedmitri at 8:57 AM on March 16, 2023 [1 favorite]


I think “…with sprinkles on top!” is something people say to signal an unnecessary finishing flourish.
posted by lilac girl at 8:59 AM on March 16, 2023 [6 favorites]


And something idiomatic about that is, those sprinkles are called 'Jimmies' is some regions.
posted by Rash at 9:01 AM on March 16, 2023


Also, 'hot fudge sundae' can be a metaphor for something that is both hot and cold simultaneously.
posted by Rash at 9:03 AM on March 16, 2023 [1 favorite]


Ice cream sundae date or milkshake date.
I wonder if Lucy is planning on making snow ice cream out of her January snowflakes.
posted by TrishaU at 9:03 AM on March 16, 2023


I'm pretty sure "my milkshake brings all the boys to the yard" is not about a literal milkshake. I could be wrong.
posted by The Bellman at 9:13 AM on March 16, 2023 [5 favorites]


I'm pretty sure "my milkshake brings all the boys to the yard" is not about a literal milkshake.

Accurate.
posted by coffeecat at 9:35 AM on March 16, 2023 [1 favorite]


"And call it ice cream" is used in the following phrases found on Google: "kiss your butt and call it ice cream," "accept shovels full of shit and call it ice cream," "don't sell bullshit and call it ice cream," and "kiss your ass and call it ice cream."

Also, to build on Mchelly, I think in the Updike short story "A&P," a female character's breasts are referred to as two scoops of vanilla.
posted by FencingGal at 9:37 AM on March 16, 2023


I'm not sure "cherry on top" is specific to ice cream, to question the premise a bit...
posted by pipeski at 10:02 AM on March 16, 2023


"Let's blow this popsicle stand!"
posted by idb at 10:27 AM on March 16, 2023 [3 favorites]


Milkshake Duck?
posted by eirias at 12:48 PM on March 16, 2023


The Jimmie’s mentioned above can be rustled in everyday speech.
posted by Iteki at 1:29 PM on March 16, 2023 [2 favorites]


I always associated the journalist's term of a scoop, as in "a news item that only I know about", with ice cream.
posted by Pallas Athena at 6:28 PM on March 16, 2023


ice cream dream

Here's the scoop?
posted by BlueHorse at 7:43 PM on March 16, 2023


"32 flavors" was a tagline of the Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop, and you sometimes hear it used to describe something that comes in a large variety.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 8:58 PM on March 16, 2023


I think it was 31 flavors was the ice cream shop, and "32 flavors" has the implication of "still MORE variety!!" Like the Ani DiFranco song lol
posted by adekllny at 8:41 AM on March 17, 2023


What's with the past tense? Baskin-Robbins is still an active concern. They actually integrate '31' into their 'BR' logo now, and in Japan the chain is known as サーティワン (saati wan), the Japanese pronunciation of thirty-one.
posted by Rash at 4:48 PM on March 17, 2023


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