наладить отношения(Rugby is something of a national obsession, so those who want to break the ice quickly may want to familiarise themselves with the game.ART Vancouver)
завязать разговор(do or say something to relieve tension or get conversation going in a strained situation or when strangers meet. He made a weather joke to break the ice. VLZ_58)
не производить впечатления(на кого-либо – with someone: It cuts no ice with a British copper to tell him you're an American citizen. "It's British law and order over here," says he.)
охладить пыл("Don't tell me that a girl like Corky, accustomed to giving Hollywood glamour men the brusheroo, couldn't put Gussie on ice, if she wanted to." (P.G. Wodehouse)ART Vancouver)