boil down

boil down
verb
1. be the essential element (Freq. 1)
-

The proposal boils down to a compromise

• Syn: ↑reduce, ↑come down
• Derivationally related forms: ↑reducible (for: ↑reduce)
• Hypernyms: ↑become, ↑turn
• Verb Frames:
-

Something is ——ing PP

2. be cooked until very little liquid is left
-

The sauce should reduce to one cup

• Syn: ↑reduce, ↑decoct, ↑concentrate
• Derivationally related forms: ↑concentration (for: ↑concentrate), ↑concentrate (for: ↑concentrate)
• Topics: ↑cooking, ↑cookery, ↑preparation
• Hypernyms: ↑decrease, ↑diminish, ↑lessen, ↑fall
• Verb Frames:
-

Something ——s

3. cook until very little liquid is left
-

The cook reduced the sauce by boiling it for a long time

• Syn: ↑reduce, ↑concentrate
• Derivationally related forms: ↑concentration (for: ↑concentrate), ↑concentrate (for: ↑concentrate)
• Topics: ↑cooking, ↑cookery, ↑preparation
• Hypernyms: ↑decrease, ↑lessen, ↑minify
• Verb Frames:
-

Somebody ——s something

* * *

boil down [phrasal verb]
1 a : to become reduced in amount by boiling

Let the sauce boil down and thicken.

1 b boil (something) down or boil down (something) : to reduce the amount of (a liquid) by boiling it

Boil down the sauce so that it thickens.

2 boil (something) down or boil down (something) : to make (something) short or simple by removing the parts that are not important or necessary

He was able to boil down [=condense] the report to a brief summary.

3 boil down to (something) : to have (something) as the main or basic part

His speech boiled down to [=was basically] a plea for more money.

Their objections all boil down to one thing: cost.

You can get advice from many sources, but it all boils down to common sense. [=you should be guided by common sense]

• • •
Main Entry: ↑boil

* * *

ˌboil ˈdown | ˌboil sthˈdown derived
to be reduced or to reduce sth by boiling
Main entry: ↑boilderived

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • 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? …   New idioms dictionary

  • boil down — index abridge (shorten), distill, lessen Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • boil down to — COME DOWN TO, amount to, add up to, be in essence. → boil * * * boil down to (figurative) To mean, to signify when reduced to essentials • • • Main Entry: ↑boil * * * ˌboil ˈdown to [transitive] never progressive [ …   Useful english dictionary

  • boil down — v. 1) (d; intr.) to boil down to (it all boils down to one simple fact) 2) (D; tr.) to boil down to (she boiled the whole story down to one paragraph) * * * [ bɔɪl daʊn] (d; intr.) to boil down to (it all boil downs down to one simple fact) (D;… …   Combinatory dictionary

  • boil down — phrasal verb Word forms boil down : present tense I/you/we/they boil down he/she/it boils down present participle boiling down past tense boiled down past participle boiled down 1) [intransitive/transitive] to become smaller in quantity after… …   English dictionary

  • boil down to — phrasal verb [transitive, never progressive] Word forms boil down to : present tense I/you/we/they boil down to he/she/it boils down to present participle boiling down to past tense boiled down to past participle boiled down to boil down to… …   English dictionary

  • boil down — PHR V ERG When you boil down a liquid or food, or when it boils down, it is boiled until there is less of it because some of the water in it has changed into steam or vapour. [V P n (not pron)] He boils down red wine and uses what s left... [V P] …   English dictionary

  • boil down — verb Date: 1731 transitive verb 1. to reduce in bulk by boiling 2. condense, summarize < boil down a report > intransitive verb 1. to undergo reduction in bulk by boiling …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • boil down to — phr verb Boil down to is used with these nouns as the subject: ↑argument …   Collocations dictionary

  • boil down something — 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? …   New idioms dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”