Cut no ice?

Reader question:

In this sentence – These arguments cut little ice with the Democrats – what does "cut little ice with" mean?

My comments:

It means "these arguments" fail to have any influence on "Democrats". In other words, the Democrats are not impressed with these arguments. That is to say their opinion won't be swayed by these arguments.

"Cut little ice" is a varied form of the American idiom "cut no ice." There are various explanations as to the origin of this odd-sounding idiom, some more plausible than others. One of the more plausible explanations points to ice skating. When one goes skating on ice, they leave a track as the blades of the skates cut into the ice. However, if the blades are not sharp, they won't make a sharp impression, hence the saying.

If a fact/argument cuts no ice with someone, it means they are not having an effect.

Here are a few media examples involving the idiom in its various forms, e.g. cut no ice, cut little ice, (not) cut any ice.

1. cut no ice:

Mr Blair's proposal for a fundamental review cut no ice with the French president, Jacques Chirac, who met the German chancellor, Gerhardt Schroder, in Paris yesterday.

- Blair offers rebate deal as bait for EU reforms (Guardian, June 11, 2005)

2. cut little ice:

Hand-picked by Gordon Brown, McCarthy usually stays out of the limelight – perhaps one reason why, like Darling, he discovered his 'keep calm' message cut little ice with the public.

- Gatekeepers failed to make the Rock solid (Observer, September 23, 2007).

3. (not) cut any ice:

None of this has cut any ice with Greenpeace which, in a statement in June, said: "Despite its claims to be green, BA (British Airways) is one of the worst offenders, opening new and unnecessary domestic routes, aggressively promoting domestic routes, fiercely opposing any measures that will curb growth in emissions, keeping a tight hold over government policy and lobbying hard for airport expansions."

- Green skies? (Telegraph.co.uk, June 26, 2007).