rompere il ghiaccio

Italian

Etymology

Literally, “to break the ice”. Compare French briser la glace.

Verb

rómpere il ghiaccio (first-person singular present rómpo il ghiaccio, first-person singular past historic rùppi il ghiaccio, past participle rótto il ghiaccio, auxiliary avére)

1. (idiomatic) to take the initiative to disrupt an embarrassing or uneasy atmosphere, especially when meeting someone new; to break the ice

   Mi aveva preso già dallo sguardo, così ho deciso di rompere il ghiaccio presentandomi.

   She had me interested already from the first glance, so I decided to break the ice and introduce myself.