to cream off
1
4.8
- phrasal verb
- It is important to cream off any impurities that float to the surface during cooking.
- skim the cream off
Examples
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She used a spoon to cream off the layer of fat from the top of the stew.
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The dairy worker had to cream off the cream from the milk before bottling it.
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You should cream off the milk before using it.
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He creamed the top layer off the soup.
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To make the frosting lighter, you should cream off the excess butter from the mixture.
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She carefully creamed off the layer of foam from the top of the milk before using it in her recipe.
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After boiling the soup, he creamed off the oily layer that formed on the surface.
Synonyms
1
5.0
Remove the top layer from a liquid to make it clear
1
3.7
Take oil or fat from the top of a liquid using a spoon
1
3.4
Take a thin layer off the top of a liquid
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase derives from the literal image of skimming the cream (the desirable top layer) plus 'off' meaning removing, so there is a clear compositional link to taking away the best items. However, mapping that physical image to selecting the "best people/things" is a metaphorical extension (cream = "the best") that may not be fully predictable to a B1 learner without exposure, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Cream off comes from working with milk. Cream rises to the top and people skim it off with a spoon, so the phrase means 'to remove the top layer or portion'.