1. The children never walked on the south side of the road because they would have had to walk right past a frightening guard dog. They gave that dog a wide berth. 1. Audrey tried to make up with Josh after their fight, but Josh didn’t respond. He gave her the cold shoulder.
2. They couldn’t tell if the driver was ready to back the truck up or whether he even saw them in his rear-view mirror. Just to be safe, they gave the truck a wide berth when they crossed the street behind it. 2. Beatrice was forced to find a new photography club when the members of her old club gave her the cold shoulder. They wouldn’t talk to her at all.

The expression probably originates from the 18th-century meaning of berth: sufficient sea-room for one ship to pass another. to be unfriendly to somebody