blue ice

noun

Ice that is blue in colour, formed by compressed snow on a glacier having its air bubbles squeezed out.

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Meanings

nounblue ice (uncountable)
  1. uncountableIce that is blue in colour, formed by compressed snow on a glacier having its air bubbles squeezed out.

    Typically, blue ice areas form where mountains obstruct ice flow and high winds transport a lot of snow.

    2012, Glaciology of Blue Ice Areas in Antarctica, Climate Change Institute
    2 more examples

    Antarctica is the best place in the world to find meteorites, and the search for Antarctic meteorites begins with the search for blue ice.

    1997, Pat Dasch, Allan Treiman, Blue Ice in Antarctica, Lunar and Planetary Institute

    Tourists on a boat trip in Mount Cook National Park were subject to a rare treat yesterday, when a section of densely compressed blue ice at the base of an iceberg was briefly visible.

    2011 January 14, Eveline Harvey, “New Zealand blue ice sighting an unexpected treat for tourists”, in New Zealand Herald
  2. uncountableaeronauticsHuman waste that has leaked from an aircraft, frozen at high altitude, and fallen to earth.

    They are often called "blue ice", because of the chemicals added to the toilets in planes to reduce odour and break down the waste.

    2018' January 22, Airline poo' falls on India village causing confusion, BBC
    3 more examples

    Cadamore believes the mess came from an airplane. In the airline industry, it's euphemistically known as blue ice. Most people have far less judicious names for it. Such waste apparently is caused by leaks in airplane lavatories.

    2002 November 21, Mark Belko, The sky is falling? Uh, not exactly, post-gazette.com

    A chunk of blue ice, apparently from the holding tank of an aircraft toilet, ripped a hole in an elderly couple's roof and destroyed a bed.

    2006 October 20, “Toilet Ice Rips Hole in Couple's Roof”, in Fox News

    Simey had just returned home from taking her 6-month-old son to a doctor when a block of "blue ice" landed in the master bedroom, right on her bed.

    2008 April 14, “Frozen jetliner waste smashes into home”, in UPI
Cite this entry
APA

blue ice. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/blue%20ice

MLA

“blue ice.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/blue%20ice. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “blue ice,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/blue%20ice.

Source: blue ice on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.