to blow off steam
14
3.5
- phrasal verb
- Informal
:
desahogarse
- After a long week at work, I went for a run to blow off steam.
And so you may need to blow off steam, as it were, and release that.
- And so you may need to blow off steam, as it were, and release that.
- They let narcissistic people reduce their tension, blow off steam, as it were.
Examples
-
Believe me, I have no problem with anyone blowing off steam in a non-harmful way.
Blog text (18) -
I also had a great therapist to help me blow off steam and advise me on some ways to de-stress.
Blog text (1) -
And so you may need to blow off steam, as it were, and release that.
-
What do you do to blow off steam?
-
It's just a way to blow off steam.
-
I understand what it's like to need to blow off steam.
-
I have to blow off steam every once in a while.
Fiction book (1998) -
Go take a walk and blow off steam.
Fiction book (1995) -
When I get tense, I blow off steam.
-
I took up cooking and a couple of other hobbies to blow off steam.
Synonyms
99
4.9
To relax and become calm after you feel upset
50
2.7
To become calmer, less angry, or less hot
39
3.7
To relax after a busy or stressful time and slowly come to an end
35
3.4
Become relaxed and less tense after work or a stressful time
19
2.5
Feel less angry or excited
9
6.0
Talk about something worrying you so you feel better
1
6.5
To express strong feelings such as anger or sadness
1
2.7
Relax and feel less stressed after work
Antonyms
How Relieved
816
1.0
35
3.4
- Informal
14
3.5
61
4.1
496
1.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase maps onto a clear pressure-release metaphor: combining 'blow' and 'steam' suggests letting out built-up pressure, so learners who recognize 'steam' metaphorically as anger or tension could infer the sense of relieving stress. However, the particle 'off' and the idiomaticized nature of the construction make the exact meaning not fully predictable for an average B1 learner without prior exposure, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
The expression blow off steam comes from old steam engines. When pressure built up, workers would open a valve so the steam could blow off and the engine calmed down, so the phrase now means 'to relieve stress'.