boil down
(Redirected from boil down to)
See also: boildown
English edit
Etymology edit
As an allusion to the technique of reduction or decreasing liquid content of food by boiling much of its water off.
Verb edit
boil down (third-person singular simple present boils down, present participle boiling down, simple past and past participle boiled down)
- (transitive and intransitive) To reduce in volume by boiling.
- He boiled the soup down so it wouldn't be so weak.
- (intransitive) To become reduced (to the most central elements or ingredients: to the essence, core, or implication for action).
- So what this boils down to is that you still owe me that fifty bucks.
- 2013 October 11, Daniel Taylor, The Guardian[1]:
- For England, everything now boils down to what happens against Poland on Tuesday.
- (transitive) To reduce (to the most central elements or ingredients: to the essence, core, or implication for action).
- My dissertation is 342 pages long, and I'm required to boil it down to a one-page abstract?!
Usage notes edit
- Usually followed by to, as in some of the examples above.
- What usually get boiled down are problems, arguments, statements, etc.
Synonyms edit
- (become reduced): come down to
Related terms edit
Translations edit
Used other than with a figurative or idiomatic meaning
To become reduced
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