The acquisition of Reddy Ice Holdings Inc., which has been on thin, uh, ice, since September when Morgan Stanley threatened to pull deal financing, took another hit on Wednesday.

The maker of packaged ice said it held talks with its planned buyer, GSO Capital, on Jan. 4 about the status of the deal and “conceptual discussions regarding a modified transaction.” Conceptual discussions? What does that mean? Theoretical discussions about how Reddy Ice’s stock would melt if GSO Capital walked away?

Reddy Ice, which posted lower than expected third-quarter results in October, said no decisions had been reached and no definitive alternative deal had been pitched by GSO Capital. Discussions between the two parties continue, Reddy Ice said. GSO Capital could not be immediately reached for comment.

Reddy Ice has been on the deal death-watch for months. The spread on the deal stood at 47 percent on Wednesday, making it among the 5 widest spreads of pending deals. In July, GSO Capital had agreed to pay $31.25 per share for Reddy Ice. Shares of Reddy Ice closed on Wednesday at $21.24 on the New York Stock Exchange.

An explosion of the Reddy Ice deal would follow other deal debacles amid tight credit markets and sinking stock valuations. In recent weeks, acquisitions such as PHH Corp., United Rental Inc. and SLM Corp. have collapsed.