Icing

Podcast 1 · Introduction

Icing

A documentary-style narration: origin, meaning, and feel.

Part of speech

noun and verbal noun

Pronunciation

ICE-ing  /ˈaɪsɪŋ/

Definition

A sugary coating or covering applied to a cake, biscuit, or other baked good (also called frosting, especially in American English); the formation of ice on aircraft wings or other surfaces; in ice hockey, the act of shooting the puck across the length of the rink from behind the centre line without it being touched — a foul resulting in a face-off.

Plain meaning

Icing in the most common sense is the sweet sugar coating on top of a cake — what Americans call frosting. Icing can be made from icing sugar and water (glacé icing), butter cream, or royal icing (for decorating). In aviation, icing is the dangerous formation of ice on aircraft surfaces. In ice hockey, icing is a rule violation.

Register

Neutral across senses. Icing in the cake sense is familiar and widely used. The phrase icing on the cake is used in formal and informal writing. Aviation icing is a technical term. Ice hockey icing is sport-specific jargon.