To give the cold shoulder is to ignore somebody deliberately. Give the cold shoulder all evening.
The silence has to be pointed rather than accidental, or it is not the same thing. To give the cold shoulder is a punishment that says nothing and is understood perfectly.
1phrasegive the cold shoulderTo ignore somebody deliberately.
“The whole department would give the cold shoulder to anybody who complained.”
give the cold shoulder is a phrase.
Practised in Body Language & Gestures