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
15
3.4
Take a thin layer off the top of a liquid
2
3.7
Take oil or fat from the top of a liquid using a spoon
1
5.0
Remove the top layer from a liquid to make it clear
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'.