icy

[Verona_82]

Hello!

I'm wondering what a native speaker would think if they heard a sentence like this:

It's pretty icy today.

Does "icy" here mean "cold" or "slippery"? Should I say "It's slippery today" to avoid any ambiguity?

Thank you!

 

[bhaisahab]

Hello!

I'm wondering what a native speaker would think if they heard a sentence like this:

It's pretty icy today.

Does "icy" here mean "cold" or "slippery"? Should I say "It's slippery today" to avoid any ambiguity?

Thank you!

If somebody said to me "It's icy today", I would take that as meaning that there was ice on the ground and therefore potentially slippery.

 

[Barb_D]

Having recently had an ice storm, it means that the streets, sidewalks, cars, etc. are covered with ice.
Edit: Sorry, when I started this post there was no reply. I got distracted and now I"m late again!

 

[BobK]

If somebody said to me "It's icy today", I would take that as meaning that there was ice on the ground and therefore potentially slippery.

:up:

It's an interesting word, icy. I agree that 'It's icy' means 'There's ice on the ground', so that it means 'characterized by the presence of ice'. But when put together with many nouns it means 'having the characteristics of ice - specifically its coldness' - 'icy blast',' icy temperature', 'icy winds' ...(not to mention the metaphorical 'icy reception', 'icy welcome', 'icy meeting'...)

b