deep freeze

¹

noun

1. a state or period of halted or suspended activity or progress:

   High interest rates created a deep freeze in housing construction.

2. suspended animation.

deep-freeze

²

[ deep-freez ]

verb (used with object)

, deep-freezed or deep-froze, deep-freezed or deep-fro·zen, deep-freez·ing.

1. to quick-freeze (food).
2. to store in a frozen frozen state.

Word History and Origins

Origin of deep freeze¹

An Americanism dating back to 1940–45

Origin of deep freeze²

An Americanism dating back to 1945–50; deep + freeze

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. put in / into the deep freeze, Informal. to stop or suspend the activity or progress of:

   A series of quarrels put their romance into the deep freeze.

Example Sentences

And in Georgia, a racketeering case stemming from the Jan. 6 plot is in a sort of deep freeze as the state courts try to sort out whether Fulton County Dist.

From Los Angeles Times

Large snow reserves in the area melting, deep freezing of the soil which doesn’t allow it to absorb rain or melting snow and a massive release of water from a reservoir.

From Seattle Times

In the subsequent decades, scientists found that tardigrades could withstand crushing pressure, deep freezes and even a trip to outer space.

From New York Times

The consequences of record high temperatures and a bizarre heat dome event, along with sudden and deep freezes, are still playing out in our gardens.

From Seattle Times

A Yale-led research team has picked a side in the "Snowball Earth" debate over the possible cause of planet-wide deep freeze events that occurred in the distant past.

From Science Daily