Break the ice
Commence a friendship or break off a conflict.
Back before the massive infrastructure projects that produced the sprawling road system with have today, ships were the primary form of transport and trade. During the winter, ships would get stuck in ice formations and the destination country would send smaller ships out to ‘break the ice’ and allow the larger transport ships free.
Feel free to use this fact as a chat up line. To ‘break the ice’ so to speak.