Emily Dickinson Lexicon

icicle (-s), n. [OE isgicel; see ice, n.]

1. Ice spike; conical ice formation; fringe of frozen ice sticks hanging from the upper edges of a building; [metonymy] winter; [metaphor] sharp obvious grief; evidence of shedding tears.
2. Chill; cold temperature; sensation of freezing; [fig.] paralysis; loss of sensation; deadening of feeling; [metaphor] hopelessness; numbness of doubt, fear, or grief.