🗓️ Idiom: Sell Ice to Eskimos (v)
💬 Meaning
- To be very good at selling things.
- To make people buy something they do not really need.
🧠 Example Sentences
- Jake is such a good salesperson—he could sell ice to Eskimos.
- Their top agent can sell ice to Eskimos with her friendly style.
- He sold another upgrade to the client. He really can sell ice to Eskimos!
🏛️ Origin
This idiom is based on a funny idea: selling ice to people who already have a lot of it. It shows that someone is very persuasive and can sell almost anything—even when it makes no sense.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
Our sales manager is so convincing, she could ________ ice to ________.
Answer
sell, Eskimos
2. Choose the best meaning of “sell ice to Eskimos”:
A) To deliver products quickly
B) To sell something that is not needed using persuasive skills
C) To sell frozen goods to cold regions
Answer
B) To sell something that is not needed using persuasive skills
3. Change the sentence using “sell ice to Eskimos”:
“She has amazing sales skills—she can convince anyone to buy things they don’t even want.”
Answer
She has amazing sales skills—she could sell ice to Eskimos.
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