Icing is the practice whereby a prankster ambushes his or her victim
with a Smirnoff Ice, typically by hiding it someplace the victim is
likely to stumble upon it. The victim must then drop to one knee and
immediately drink the entire malt beverage, during which time the
prankster usually takes photos or videos of the icing-in-progress. This
prank began at Southern college fraternities, which is why anyone
involved in an icing is usually referred to as a "bro."
But the icing of bros isn't just for the Sig Eps at Ole Miss anymore. The practice has migrated up the east coast to New York City and even Wall Street, where the traders and managers of such storied financial institutions as Goldman Sachs are reportedly icing one another. But what about our nation's capital? DCist's Sommer Mathis has never seen an icing in Washington. But The Washingtonian's Alyssa Rosenberg has. And she thinks it might do wonders for the staid city and its population of Congressional staffers and interns:
While Washington has a well-established drinking culture, it’s one that’s unfortunately lacking in whimsy. There are the bars that Wonkette warns year-round denizens to shy away from once intern season starts and the rituals of the area's speakeasy scene—which combine to make beers, bitters, and everything in between a serious business. Smirnoff Ice may be gross. There are situations under which it may be taboo to Ice someone (before breakfast, while driving, and targeting anyone who doesn’t drink). But Washington could use more surprises and more reminders of the joys of goofiness.What if that "whimsy" trickled up the Congressional hierarchy from staffers to Senators the same way it trickled up from Pi Kappa Alpha to Goldman Sachs? Is this Smirnoff-based whimsy just what Congressional culture needs to move beyond the hyperpartisanship and party-line obstructionism that is crippling its ability to address America's greatest problems? There's only one way to find out.