boil (redirected from boiling down)

someone's blood boils

make someone's blood boil - to make someone very angry. His blood boiled when he thought about how unfairly he'd been treated.

See also: blood

can't boil an egg (humorous)

if someone can't boil an egg, they are not able to cook. Don't expect a dinner invitation from Laura - she can't boil an egg.

See also: can't, egg

go off the boil

1. to become less successful. After winning their first two matches this season, the French team seem to have gone off the boil.

2. if a situation or feeling goes off the boil, it becomes less urgent or less strong. The housing issue has gone off the boil recently, despite attempts to revive public interest. Our affair went off the boil when I discovered he was married.

make someone's blood boil

to make someone very angry. When I saw the rude way she talked to him it made my blood boil.

See also: blood

on the boil (British)

if a situation or feeling is on the boil, it is very strong or active. The corruption scandal is being kept on the boil by a series of new revelations.

A watched pot never boils.

something that you say which means if you wait anxiously for something to happen, it seems to take a very long time. There's no point sitting by the phone waiting for it to ring. A watched pot never boils.

See also: never, pot, watch

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boil down something

to reduce something to its most basic or important parts. I am supposed to boil down this ten-page report to half a page. The whole question boils down to how will we pay for this?

See also: down

boil over

to become uncontrollable. Anger boiled over when the police ordered the protesters to leave.

Etymology: based on the idea of liquid in a pan being heated until it boils over the side of the pot

See also: over