Contextualizebeta

cold comfort

noun

Etymology

Popularized by William Shakespeare in The Taming of the Shrew, see quotations.

Definitions

  1. Much less reassurance, consolation, aid, or pleasure than one needs or desires.

    • […] or ſhall I complaine on thee to our miſtris, whoſe hand / (ſhe being now at hand) thou ſhalt ſoone feele, to thy / cold comfort, for being ſlow in thy hot office.
    • The table was smoking and hissing; and Romeo Clawbonny, who acted as the everyday house-servant, or footman, had several times intimated that it might be well to commence operations, as a cold breakfast was very cold comfort.
    • At least I should not die alone. Human eyes would watch me end. It was cold comfort I presume, but yet I derived some slight peace of mind from the contemplation of it.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for cold comfort. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA