adverb
1.
a. : with every likelihood of being won
with their lead they had the game on ice
b. : with every likelihood of being fulfilled — used of a contract in a card game
2. : in reserve
put the project on ice until funds were sent
kept the invention on ice for 10 years
3. slang : in safekeeping
put you on ice quietly till they've had time to settle up their affairs — Dorothy Sayers
specifically : in jail or prison
on ice pending his appearance in court — Front Page Detective