icing

[ ahy-sing ]

noun

1. a sweet, creamy spread, as of confectioners' sugar, butter, and flavoring, for covering cakes, cookies, etc.; frosting.
2. Meteorology. a coating of ice on a solid object. Compare glaze, rime ¹.
3. Aviation. the freezing of atmospheric moisture on the surface of an aircraft.
4. Ice Hockey. the act of a player shooting the puck from the defensive half of the rink over the opponent's goal line, but not into the goal, as a defensive maneuver to keep the puck out of the reach of attacking opponents, resulting in a penalty against the defensive team if the puck is then next touched by an opponent other than the goalkeeper.

icing

/ ˈaɪsɪŋ /

noun

1. Also called (esp US and Canadian)frosting a sugar preparation, variously flavoured and coloured, for coating and decorating cakes, biscuits, etc
2. the formation of ice, as on a ship or aircraft, due to the freezing of moisture in the atmosphere
3. any unexpected extra or bonus (esp in icing on the cake )

Word History and Origins

Origin of icing¹

First recorded in 1760–70; ice + -ing ¹

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. icing on the cake. frosting ( def 5 ).

Example Sentences

The wedding took place while he was on leave from the army; wartime shortages meant they had rice paper rather than icing on the cake.

From BBC

Other new menu items include Starbuck’s Gingerbread Cream Cold Foam, a blend of gingerbread flavors with vanilla sweet cream; Turkey Sage Danish, a savory pastry filled with turkey sausage and bechamel sauce; Dark Toffee Bundt, a personal-sized, toffee-flavored Bundt cake; Penguin Cookie, a shortbread cookie iced with a penguin design; and Snowman Cake Pop, a vanilla-flavored cake mixed with buttercream and dipped in a white chocolate icing.

From Salon

As Georgia was called for Trump it was the icing on the cake for the Republican watch party here in Atlanta, where many of those in Maga hats, and others in Stetsons, have been pumping the air and whooping for joy all evening.

From BBC

When it comes to loaf cakes riddled with cracks, should frustrated bakers cover them with icing?

From Salon

If that weren’t enough, Baier also complained that Harris arriving 15 minutes late to the scheduled call time—the interview was staged an hour before broadcast—was the vice president “icing the kicker.”

From Slate

Related Words

• cream
• glaze