Meanings
- humorousnot comparableraresimileVery cold, whether in temperature or in demeanour.
"Here's another funny thing I don't quite believe," he said; "a minute ago the tea was boiling hot, and now it's as cold as charity. But I mustn't forget it's winter; that's what's making my fingers tremble so. Jolly cold — jolly cold. Yes, jolly cold as charity sounds topsy-turvy."
1883, Tinsley's magazine, conducted by E. Yates, volume 33, page 28
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
An ironic reference to the cold-hearted nature of much so-called charity, which should naturally be warm.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
cold as charity. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cold%20as%20charity
“cold as charity.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cold%20as%20charity. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cold as charity,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cold%20as%20charity.
Source: cold as charity on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.