51.   It can break the ice, ease tension, lance a boil, dispel gloom or deflate anger -- sometimes all at once.

52.   It might not sound that funny, but some little comment like that helps break the ice and gets you talking a little bit.

53.   It was a patient who broke the ice, she recalled.

54.   It helps break the ice.

55.   Jeans, a T-shirt and a pair of socks later, she had broken the ice for the group.

56.   Kopecky thought it was a joke, offered as a laugh-getter to break the ice.

57.   Last year, for instance, she joined GOP moderates breaking the ice on a crime bill stalemate, a victory for Democrats.

58.   Laughter is contagious and often breaks the ice in a gloomy situation.

59.   Law broke the ice.

60.   Nothing breaks the ice between people more than the shared experience of shelling.