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Glite Dictionary
off the boil

off the boil

6.0
Hot food or drink that is not bubbling so you can use it
  • idiom
  • UK
translation icon : fuera del fuego
  • The kettle was taken off the boil so the tea could steep properly.

Examples

  • And as demand falls off and inflation pressures similarly come off the boil, most major economies fall into deep downturns.

  • House prices have come off the boil in most (but not all) housing submarkets in Australia, but nothing so far in the nature of a bubble being pricked.

    Blog text (23)

  • After boiling the pasta for ten minutes, let it sit off the boil for a few minutes before draining.

  • Make sure the sauce is off the boil before adding the cream to prevent curdling.

Antonyms

hot
∞ 1.0

Having a high temperature and able to burn your skin

boiling
  • Specialized
1.0

Heating a liquid until it turns into steam

How Hot

boiling
  • Specialized
1.0
hot
∞ 1.0
off the boil
  • UK
6.0
warm
∞ 1.0
cool
608 1.0
cold
131 1.0

Surface Forms

off the boil positive

Morphology

off + the + boil

The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'off' (not at/in) with 'the boil' (the boiling point), so 'off the boil' straightforwardly means not boiling. This off + [state] compositional pattern is common in English (and has parallels in other languages), making it immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows the parts.

Etymology

Off the boil comes from cooking: when you take a pot off the boil, the big bubbles stop and the liquid cools enough to be handled. So it means 'no longer boiling' and ready for the next step.