Break the Ice──打破僵局

** do or say something to overcome coldness or stiffness between strangers（打破冷場）// get a conversation started in awkward silence（打破沉默）// do or say something to relax a tense or very formal situation //（消除拘謹；打破沉悶局面；使氣氛輕鬆）

** break ground（創新；打破僵局）// make a start（開始；開個頭）// pioneer（先鋒，創始人）

!! In late 1500s London where shipping was carried out all year round at river Thames, and when ice was formed at the river’s edge during severe winter, bigger ships or icebreakers are used to break the ice to allow boats to pass through and carry on their business.

（在1500年末的倫敦，泰晤士河全年進行運輸，在嚴冬期間河邊形成冰層時，通常會使用較大的船隻或破冰船來破冰，讓船隻通過並繼續他們的業務。）

!! Since the metaphor meant to "create paths", it was natural to extend the meaning to (1.) introduce something or somebody, or prepare a pathway for others, and (2.) to start an enterprise or a new undertaking.

（由於隱喻的意思是“創造路徑”，自然地將含義擴展到：1.介紹某些事或人，或為其他人準備路徑；2.創辦新的企業或開始新的任務。）

>>The best way to break the ice among strangers or loners is to talk about a shared experience.

（在陌生或獨來獨往的人群中要打破冷場，最好方法是談論共同經歷。）

>> It is thought that Brazil and Germany had no score to finish the soccer game, but Brazil's Neymar broke the ice by scoring one minute before the end.

（還以為巴西及德國在足球比賽中互無紀錄完場，但巴西的尼馬打破僵局，在比賽結束前一分鐘取得入球。）

學勤進修教育中心英語專科導師 李啟文 教授