frosting

frost over

To become coated with a thin layer of ice. If the ground frosts over tonight, we'll have a much harder time digging into it tomorrow.
See also: frost, over

frost up

1. To become coated with a thin layer of ice. If the ground frosts up tonight, we'll have a much harder time digging into it tomorrow.
2. To cause something to become coated with a thin layer of ice. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "frost" and "up." I'm worried that the cold temperatures tonight will frost the ground up.
See also: frost, up

the icing on the cake

An additional benefit or positive aspect to something that is already considered positive or beneficial. Having all of you here for my birthday has really been wonderful. This gift is icing on the cake. Sarah really wanted that job, so she said the signing bonus was really just icing on the cake.
See also: cake, icing, on

the frosting on the cake

Something desirable that makes an already good situation even better. I was so proud of my daughter for finishing her Master's degree, but finding out she finished at the top of her class was the frosting on the cake!
See also: cake, frosting, on
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

frost over

to become covered with frost. The windows had all frosted over in the night. The car windows frosted over.
See also: frost, over

icing on the cake

Fig. an extra enhancement. Oh, wow! A tank full of gas in my new car. That's icing on the cake! Your coming home for a few days was the icing on the cake.
See also: cake, icing, on
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

icing on the cake

Also, frosting on the cake. An additional benefit to something already good. For example, All these letters of congratulation are icing on the cake, or After that beautiful sunrise, the rainbow is just frosting on the cake. This metaphoric expression alludes to the sweet creamy coating used to enhance a cake. [Mid-1900s]
See also: cake, icing, on
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

the icing on the cake

BRITISH, AMERICAN or

the frosting on the cake

AMERICAN
COMMON
1. If you describe something as the icing on the cake, you mean that it is an extra good thing that makes a good situation or activity even better. To ride for one's country is the ultimate experience. To be in a winning team is the icing on the cake. If it works out that he or she becomes a friend after you have enjoyed a good professional relationship, that is frosting on the cake.
2. You can use the icing on the cake to refer to something which is only a minor part of the main thing you are talking about. Consumer electronics in Japan is now a 35 billion dollars a year business. This is just the icing on the cake. Japanese electronics companies are now generating an annual 200 billion dollars of sales. Finance Minister Vaclav Klaus has dismissed environmental issues as the frosting on the cake.
See also: cake, icing, on
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

the icing on the cake

an attractive but inessential addition or enhancement.
A North American variant of this phrase is the frosting on the cake .
1996 Independent State education is no longer always free. The jumble sale and the summer fair, which used to provide the icing on the school cake, are now providing the staple fare.
See also: cake, icing, on
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

the icing on the ˈcake

something attractive, but not necessary, which is added to something already very good: The meal was perfect, the wonderful view from the restaurant the icing on the cake.
See also: cake, icing, on
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

frost over

v.
To become covered with frost: The blades of grass frosted over in the cold night air.
See also: frost, over

frost up

v.
1. To become covered with frost: The windows frosted up quickly when the temperature dropped.
2. To cause something to become covered with frost: The freezing air frosted up the windows. Our breath frosted the mirrors up.
See also: frost, up
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.

icing on the cake

n. an extra enhancement. Oh, wow! A tank full of gas in my new car. That’s icing on the cake!
See also: cake, icing, on
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions

icing on the cake

An additional benefit to something already good.
See also: cake, icing, on
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.

frosting/icing on the cake, the

An extra advantage or additional benefit. This term refers to the sweet creamy topping of a cake and has been transferred since the mid-1900s. A book review in The Listener used it: “All this theology is icing on the cake” (April 3, 1969; cited by the OED).
See also: frosting, icing, on
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • frost over
  • frosted over
  • frost up
  • ice up
  • ice over
  • at this rate
  • gold-plated
  • stand the test of time
  • survive the test of time
  • withstand the test of time
References in periodicals archive
YOU may also transfer the remaining frosting in a piping bag with 1M decorating tip and pipe out frosting according to preferred design.
Naked chunky apple banana cake with cream cheese frosting
Mark Bosworth, Renshaw Marketing Director, said of the developments: "We have seen a marked increase in the rise of sales of ready-to-use frostings both for cupcakes and sponge cakes.
"Expanding our range of frostings will aid professional bakers in producing attractive and consistently produced cakes, removing the investment in time and ingredients to make buttercreams and other frostings from scratch."
Renshaw introduces frosting product
Begin piping rosettes along the bottom edge of the cake with the darkest shade of frosting. Pipe the first row of dark rosettes one-third of the height of the cake.
Prepare 2 recipes of Buttercream Frosting and tint in desired color.
Fill in spaces between roses with a small star of frosting. Cover the top of the cake with large rosettes around the outer edge, ending with a large center rosette.
Pretty Cakes
Cleland (3) offers other strategies for avoiding unfavorable frosting conditions but rightly places a particular emphasis on preventing the infiltration using door protection devices.
Unfavorable frosting conditions leads to the formation of ice crystals directly in the airstream.
The higher density frost forming on the coil shown in Figure 6 occurs in spaces with favorable frosting conditions.
Frost: on air-cooling evaporators
The frosting adds sweetness and contributes to the overall flavor theme of the cake.
The texture can also be enhanced by using a frosting. A frosting can add moistness to a dry cake or lighten the texture of a heavy, rich cake.
Frosting a cake can slow down the staling process by preventing it from drying out.
Chapter 15 Frostings
Heat pump performance under frosting conditions: part I- heat and mass transfer on cross-finned tube heat exchangers under frosting conditions.
Frost Growth on Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic Substrates: The Role of Surface Wettability
Their results showed only slight improvements of the frosting time; that is, the nitrogen blow off procedure produced an extension of the frosting period by only 4% with respect to ordinary wet coil conditions.
In a recent experimental study by Zhang and Hrnjak (2010a) on frosting performance, the effect of geometry (i.e., fin pitch of 12-22 fpi and louver pitch of 1.4-2.8 mm) on heat transfer and pressure drop were investigated for air velocities of 0.9, 2, and 3 m/s for a new heat exchanger that used louvered bent fins on flat tubes with the flat tubes in a horizontal position.
Measurements of frost growth on louvered folded fins of microchannel heat exchangers, part 1: experimental methodology