To turn a “cold shoulder’ is to show contempt or indifference. It implies that the person turning away is not interested in listening to or interacting with others.
There’s already been quite a bit of speculation about the origins of the expression. For example, The Phrase Finder references a popular explanation that unwelcome visitors were given a “cold shoulder of mutton” rather than a hot meal to indicate that they were not welcome, but also notes that there isn’t much evidence to support the contention that this is the root of the phrase.
Thus, I came upon another mystery and wondered whether I could discover anything that had been overlooked and, in the process, found an intriguing reference that has possibly been misinterpreted by some readers as a cold send-off when, in fact, it probably means quite the opposite…
Alms for the Poor
In The Life and Adventures of Bampfylde Moore Carew, King of the Beggars, 1793, the author relates a story of a pair of sailors who go from house to house, seeking alms. On approaching the manor of Lord Weymouth, they are told by the servants that if they are not who they say they are, and cannot give a convincing account of themselves, the master of the house will have them horse-whipped. The beggars had sufficient confidence in their ability to account for travels to other lands that they could not be dissuaded and continued their pleas at the kitchen door.
The housekeeper tried to turn them away but they made such convincing entreaties that she finally gave in and presented them with
“…the greatest part of a cold shoulder of mutton, half a fine wheaten loaf, and a shilling, but did it with great haste and fear, lest his Lordship should see her, and be angry thereat.”
In other words, complete strangers were treated with considerable generosity, the shoulder being a large piece, the loaf being fine, and a shilling thrown in to boot. The housekeeper’s gift of a “cold shoulder” of mutton was warm-hearted hospitality, not a cold-shouldered act of contempt, especially considering the consequences to her of being caught. The story then takes an unexpected turn but,… that’s another story.
A Digression…
Sometimes, while seeking the origins of a phrase, one discovers myths and legends that have nothing to do with the expression, but which are interesting on their own account. In sleuthing out references to cold shoulders, a story in an 18th century tome called The Pantheon. Representing the Fabulous Histories of the Heathen Gods by William Creech (1791) caught my interest.
In it, Creech describes an event in which Tantalus, one of the sons of Jupiter, invited the gods to a feast in order to test their divinity. As the proving point, he slaughtered and carved up his own son Pelops and served the pieces to his guests. Horrified, the gods abstained, with the exception of Ceres who mistakenly munched up one of the shoulders. After this sordid affair, the gods sent Mercury to resurrect the boy and gave him an ivory shoulder to replace the one that had been eaten. All right, it doesn’t fit with our modern understanding of a cold shoulder (the “food” was served hot), but it’s certainly an original way to replace a missing body part.
But back to the original quest…
By 1876, the expression was common enough to be used as a book title for juvenile fiction as in The Cold Shoulder; or, A Half-Year at Craiglea, published by William Oliphant & Co., Edinburgh. The author, Robert Richardson, describes a newcomer’s experiences at a boarding school in the suburbs of Sydney, Australia, where rival boys sneer at his provincialism and seek to undermine his welcome and position in the social pecking order. There are plenty of examples throughout the story of the boy, Philip, being given the cold shoulder by his classmates.
But this is not a particularly early reference. The Phrase Finder relates a much older one quoted from Sir Walter Scott’s The Antiquary. I located the citation in Volume 3, published by Ballantyne and Company in 1816:
“…that the Countess’s dislike didna gang farther at first than just shewing o’ the cauld shouther…”
At the end, The Antiquary includes a glossary explaining that “Shouther” is “Shoulder” in English and that the phrase means to “Appear cold and reserved.” (so there’s no question about its meaning).
But perhaps I’m overthinking this—maybe there is no great mystery. Sometimes the origin of a phrase can be as simple as describing a common physical act, like thumbing your nose or sticking out your tongue. When people turn their backs on others to disregard or ignore them, they are “turning a shoulder,” and treating the other person coldly rather than warmly. Perhaps complicated explanations (like the one about giving a guest a cold shoulder of mutton) aren’t necessary. Maybe in this case, Occam’s Razor applies.