ICE

ICE is an acronym for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a government agency part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The agency enforces federal border control and customs laws.

ICE was created with the Homeland Security Act in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. It is one of the largest U.S. criminal investigative agencies along with the FBI. The responsibilities of ICE include the identification and elimination of vulnerabilities regarding U.S. economic, transportation, border, and infrastructure securities.

Ice is slang for diamonds or diamond-encrusted jewelry. Rappers and gang members commonly use it to brag about their wealth, along with athletes and celebrities.

In general, ice is meant to be flashy, not mundane. For example, you could brag about the ice in your diamond ring, but people will scoff at it if it's a small diamond.

Instead, people usually want their ice to be impressive diamonds or unique jewelry with diamonds. Some examples of sought-after ice include the shape of a cross, a Super Bowl ring, or a person's initials.

ICE is when a person remarks about a food dish and indirectly claims that a variation (typically theirs) is better. For example, your critical mom may compliment your lasagna while putting it down, "This lasagna is great, but I find that making the lasagna noodles from scratch brings out more flavor."

ICE may occur anywhere food is consumed, such as in a restaurant or home, which people widely consider rude. Additionally, ICE is particularly egregious when someone performs it in front of the chef. For example, your sister-in-law may tell you during your Thanksgiving dinner, "Thanks for the turkey! Do you know what I do to keep mine moist? Add a special butter mixture!"

Origin of ICE

It is unclear who first coined the "ICE" acronym, but it became popular in early 2023. And while the acronym was popularized in 2023, people, typically critical foodies, have been guilty for many years.

ICE is an acronym that precedes one or more instructions to follow in an emergency. For example, a mom might text her high school daughter ICE instructions when she leaves for the weekend.

You may encounter ICE online, in texts, in emails, or in person. Additionally, you might see ICE for extreme emergencies, like weather-related ones, or for "boring" emergencies, like what to do when the copier runs out of paper.