ice-cream social

noun

, Chiefly Northern, North Midland, and Western U.S.

1. a social gathering, usually to raise money for a local church or school, where ice cream is the principal refreshment.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ice-cream social¹

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900

Example Sentences

Napolitano was responding to a Wall Street Journal op-ed titled, "Will Courts Pick the Next President," in which the newspaper's Editorial board writes, "If the election is close, the fallout could make Bush v. Gore look like an ice-cream social."

From Fox News

After her porch talk, Williamson and her team drove to a coffee shop in Salem, on the way to their next stop at an ice-cream social.

From New York Times

On their first Fourth of July in town, Castle and Spalding threw an ice-cream social, complete with gallons of homemade toppings, then sat around worrying that no one would show up.

From The New Yorker

The ice-cream social has become an annual ritual; this Independence Day, Spalding and Castle gave away more than four hundred sundaes.

From The New Yorker

Some more subdued events — such as a brightly lit ice-cream social hosted by Insurance Commissioner Jones — also proved popular with delegates.

From Seattle Times