Cold weather has a great effect on how our minds and our bodies work . Perhaps that is why we have so many expressions that combine the word “cold ” with body parts . The most straightforward example is the adjective coldhearted . Just as it sounds , a coldhearted person is distant and , well , cold . An action can be coldhearted as well . This would be one that shows no love or sympathy . There are many songs about coldhearted men or coldhearted women who , without feeling , broke the hearts of their lovers . In the 1988 song , Cold Hearted , Paula Abdul sings about the coldhearted man who broke her heart . It seems a trend may have been set . In 2010 , the Zac Brown Band released a song with the exact same name . Other similar adjectives often get a hyphen , like cold-blooded . Reptiles , amphibians and most fish are cold-blooded animals . This means they are unable to control their own body temperature . Mammals , on the other hand , are warm-blooded -- well , for the most part . There are some people in the world you could call cold-blooded . People who show no emotions or feelings are often described as cold-blooded . Cold-blooded people are hard to get close to . And they often do terrible things , on purpose . For example , the police might look for someone they call a cold-blooded killer . Let's go back to fish ! As we said earlier , most are cold-blooded . So , calling a striped bass or rainbow trout a “cold fish ” is fine . They would not be insulted…if they could be insulted . But calling a person a “cold fish ” is an insult . A cold fish is a person who is unfriendly , unemotional and shows no love or warmth . Cold fish do not offer much of themselves to anyone . However , not everyone who doesn't show their feelings is a cold fish . Some people keep their feelings to themselves until they know you better . We could describe these people with the expression cold hands , warm heart . This means that a person may be very kind and warm . But they just don't show their feelings very easily . Take my friend Celeste as an example . She doesn't normally show her feelings . But she is always ready to help and is very kind . She is a classic case of cold hands , warm heart . Speaking of hands , the hands and feet are some of the first body parts to feel the cold . Getting cold feet is no fun – outdoors or in conversation . To get cold feet means to become afraid to do something you had already decided to do . But we commonly use it in connection with weddings . People who are about to get married may begin to feel nervous as the day nears . They begin to question if they should take such a big step . If a bride shares these feelings of nervousness and uncertainty , a relative or friend might answer with “Don't worry ! This is a classic case of cold feet !” Another body part involved in our cold expressions today is the shoulder . You give someone the cold shoulder when you refuse to speak to them . You ignore them . The expression probably comes from the physical act of turning your back toward someone . You may give a cold shoulder to a friend who has broken a promise , or to someone who has said mean things about others . We try to answer as many comments as we can . But unfortunately we can't respond to all . So , if you don't get a reply , please know we're not giving you the cold shoulder .