1boil 
/ˈbojəl/ verb
boils; boiled; boil·ing /ˈbojəl/ verb 1 a [no obj] : to become so hot that bubbles are formed in a liquid and rise to the top
▪ Let the water boil. ▪ Keep the temperature low enough so the mixture will not boil. ▪ a pot of boiling water ▪ The kettle (of water) is boiling. = The water in the kettle is boiling. ▪ french fries cooked in boiling oil ▪ Cook the mixture until the liquid has boiled away. [=until the liquid has gone; until all of the liquid has turned into steam]
b [+ obj] : to heat (a liquid or a container with liquid in it) so that bubbles are formed and rise to the top
▪ Boil (up) some water. ▪ Can you boil a kettle (of water) for tea? 2 : to cook (something) in water that is boiling [+ obj] ▪ Boil the eggs/vegetables. ▪ Make sure you boil (up) a lot of potatoes. ▪ boiled eggs/potatoes [no obj] ▪ He put some potatoes on to boil. [=he put a pot with potatoes and water in it on the stove and turned the burner on] ▪ The pasta is boiling. 3 [no obj] : to feel a strong emotion (such as anger) — + with ▪ The crowd boiled [=seethed] with anger.
▪ Let the water boil. ▪ Keep the temperature low enough so the mixture will not boil. ▪ a pot of boiling water ▪ The kettle (of water) is boiling. = The water in the kettle is boiling. ▪ french fries cooked in boiling oil ▪ Cook the mixture until the liquid has boiled away. [=until the liquid has gone; until all of the liquid has turned into steam]
b [+ obj] : to heat (a liquid or a container with liquid in it) so that bubbles are formed and rise to the top
▪ Boil (up) some water. ▪ Can you boil a kettle (of water) for tea?
a watched pot never boils
◊The expression a watched pot never boils means that time passes very slowly when you are waiting for something to happen if that is the only thing you are thinking about.
boil down [phrasal verb] 1 a : to become reduced in amount by boiling
▪ Let the sauce boil down and thicken.
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]
▪ Let the sauce boil down and thicken.
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.
▪ He was able to boil down [=condense] the report to a brief summary.
▪ 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]
boil over [phrasal verb] 1 : to flow over the side of a container while boiling
▪ The water in the pot is boiling over. = The pot (of water) is boiling over. 2 a : to become violent or to lose control because of anger
▪ He's so mad that he's ready to boil over.
b : to change into something more violent
▪ Their disagreement finally boiled over into a fight.
▪ The water in the pot is boiling over. = The pot (of water) is boiling over.
▪ He's so mad that he's ready to boil over.
b : to change into something more violent
▪ Their disagreement finally boiled over into a fight.
boil up [phrasal verb]
: to grow toward a dangerous level
▪ He could feel the anger boiling up inside him. [=he could feel himself becoming very angry] ▪ Problems have been boiling up in the cities during the hot summer.
▪ He could feel the anger boiling up inside him. [=he could feel himself becoming very angry] ▪ Problems have been boiling up in the cities during the hot summer.
make someone's blood boil — see blood
