slow burn
A gradual development that increases in strength or power over time. It's going to be a slow burn before we start earning serious money on this app. The rebellion against the government had been a slow burn, as decades of mistreatment slowly fueled the fires of unrest.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
slow burn
Slowly increasing anger. It is often put as do a slow burn, meaning "gradually grow angrier," as in I did a slow burn when he kept me waiting for three hours. The burn in this idiom comes from burn up in the sense of "make furious." The term was first cited in 1938 and was closely associated with comedian Edgar Kennedy.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
a slow burn
A slow burn is a feeling or effect that develops gradually. In a single weekend the slow burn of public disgust turned into a bonfire. He promised a slow burn campaign over the next 18 months to support the idea of economic change. Note: In American English, people say that someone does a slow burn if they gradually become more and more angry. Wilson, sensing a challenge to his power, did a slow burn.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
slow burn
a state of slowly mounting anger or annoyance. informalFarlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
slow burn
n. the act of becoming angry very slowly or being resentful for a long period of time. (see also
do a slow burn.)
His lips were pressed together and he was angry but just having a slow burn. McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.