come to a boil

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come to a boil

1. Lit. [for a liquid] to reach the boiling point. The soup came to a boil and the chef reduced the flame.

2. Fig. [for a problem or situation] to reach a critical or crucial stage. (Alludes to water reaching an active boil.) Finally, things really came to a boil. Everything came to a boil after Mary announced her engagement.

3. Fig. [for someone] to get very angry. Fred was coming to a boil and clearly he was going to lose his temper.

See also: boil, come

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? References in periodicals archive
95): Place eggs in cold water and let it come to a boil. BOILING UP SOME IDEAS FOR COOKING EGGS by Daily News (Los Angeles, CA) More results

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