Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(a) to exclude from society, business etc by intimidating, snubbing behaviour.

1876		B. Harte Two Men of Sandy Bar 93: Why, the first day I came here on business, the old man froze me so that I couldn’t thaw a deposit out of my pocket.
1882		Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 21 Oct. 2/2: His daisy is going to be frozen stiff [...] no class here will take kindly to the cast-off mistress of princes.
1884		Randiana 74: I got my hand on her leg once, and she froze me with a few curt words, and wound up by telling me [...] she would expose me mercilessly.
1900		E.H. Babbitt ‘College Words and Phrases’ in DN II:i 37: freeze, v. To slight.

(b) (US) to intimidate.

1936

(con. 1920s) Dos Passos Big Money in USA (1966) 785: She like to froze that poor little girl of Don’s to death.

(c) (US) to snub, to ignore.

1900		Sporting Times 9 June 1/2: The man who speaks to one of them without being properly introduced gets a very freezing look.
1911		E. Dyson ‘The Picnic’ Benno and Some of the Push 3: ‘Lead ’em on, an’ when yer got ’em fair dilly about yer, freeze ’em; that’s my motto,’ he told Goudy.
1922		H.L. Wilson Merton of the Movies 193: You’d ought to see him freeze me when I suggested a sandwich and a cup o’ coffee.
1938		G. Greene Brighton Rock (1943) 28: Some of these here – they freeze you.
1955		R. Mais Black Lightning (1966) 139: Quit freezing me off like this.
1972		Hall & Adelman Gentleman of Leisure 8: You go into a joint and everyone will freeze you.
1995		B. James Detective is Dead (1996) 85: ‘Haven’t heard from you for a while, Jack.’ ‘I’ve been freezing you.’.
2005		H. Mantel Beyond Black 165: So much did they ignore him, freeze him, give him the elbow and the old heave-ho.

(d) (drugs) to renege on an agreement, esp. on a drug deal; sometimes intransitive.

1962		P. Crump Burn, Killer, Burn! 162: Don’t you lames freeze up on me now.
1964		B. Jackson Get Your Ass in the Water (1974) 91: I was sick as hell and the monk was on me [i.e. suffering withdrawal symptoms], all the junkies froze ’cause the heat was on me.
2001		ONDCP Street Terms 9: Freeze — [...] renege on a drug deal.

(a) to stay where one is.

1862

J.R. Lowell Biglow Papers 2nd series (1880) 22: I friz down right where I wuz, married the Widder Shennon.

(b) to stand absolutely still, to remain motionless.

1865		Detroit Trib. 6 Oct. 3/1: The raiders remained in the back room some minutes without making any demonstration, and Smith in the meantime ‘froze’ to the door latch [DA].
1908		S.E. White Riverman 27: Order, a thick slice of bread halfway to his lips, had frozen, in an attitude of attentive listening.
1933		E.A. Robertson Ordinary Families 169: But there I ‘froze’ again. If she glanced up she would see me.
1940		R. Chandler Farewell, My Lovely (1949) 16: Freeze the mitts on the bar.
1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 74/1: Freeze. To stop what one is doing instantly, especially in the presence of danger; to become suddenly motionless.
1957		C. Himes Imabelle 51: Everybody froze.
1958		D. Sontup ‘The Guts to Kill’ in Margulies Back Alley Jungle (1963) 66: I let my finger tighten in the trigger. I didn’t freeze at all this time.
1965		C. Himes Rage in Harlem (1969) 52: [as 1957].
1975		E. Torres Carlito’s Way 25: Everybody freeze!
1983		N. Heard House of Slammers 87: ‘So give me yo’ bread,’ Honky Tonk said, / ‘And freeze here while I go score.’.
1999		Indep. on Sun. Travel 1 Aug. 10: We both froze [...] in the middle of the highway.
2001		C. Stella Eddie’s World 20: Singleton yelled at the mugger to freeze. When the mugger started to run, Singleton shot him twice ion the back.
2010		Codella and Bennett Alphaville (2011) 126: ‘Freeze,’ we yelled, nearly in unison.

(c) to become silent, to quieten down, to refuse to answer questions or make conversation.

1924		G. Henderson Keys to Crookdom 405: Freeze up – to refuse to talk.
1934		(con. 1920s) J.T. Farrell Young Manhood in Studs Lonigan (1936) 252: Studs told Nate to freeze it.
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn) 91: freeze up To refuse to talk.
1953		L. Durst Jives of Dr. Hepcat (1989) 10: Jumping jills and jiving cats, upstate gates and high hats can lace their boots and tighten their wigs, here’s some jive that anybody can dig. If you freeze up and can the chatter old boy it want [sic] be a thing the matter.
1969		‘Iceberg Slim’ Pimp 162: If I sucker out any more he’ll freeze and boot me.
1972		B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular 204: freeze out to clam up because of paranoia.
2000		P. Beatty Tuff 39: As Yolanda edged toward the bookshelf, Winston froze.

(d) to stop what one is doing.

1928		C. McKay Home to Harlem 28: A fine new place that was opened in Brooklyn was freezing to death. Brooklyn never could support anything.
1934		J.L. Kuethe ‘Prison Parlance’ in AS IX:1 26: freeze. To cease all activity in [an] undertaking.
1962		P. Crump Burn, Killer, Burn! 44: Freeze that action [...] Forget it.
1967		M. Braly On the Yard (2002) 198: He offered another carton, but Cool Breeze shook his head. ‘No, I freeze now.’.

(e) (US) to end a relationship; to obtain a divorce.

1933

C. Himes ‘Prison Mass’ Coll. Stories (1990) 161: Yes, he could easily diagnose her case — cooling of the heart [...] That was just her way of saying she was going to ‘freeze’.

(f) to act calmly, to ‘play it cool’.

1960		C. Cooper Jr Scene (1996) 86: Them silks is gonna get you in a world of trouble if you don’t freeze.
1969		‘Iceberg Slim’ Pimp 165: Freeze up and stop that sucker grinning.
1999		E. Bunker Mr Blue 252: Freeze on that shit and tell me what happened.
2001		(con. 1964–8) J. Ellroy Cold Six Thousand 155: The spooks froze. The spooks went nonchalant.