slow burn

noun

, Informal.

1. a gradual building up of anger, as opposed to an immediate outburst:

   I did a slow burn as the conversation progressed.

slow burn

noun

1. a steadily penetrating show of anger or contempt

Idioms and Phrases

Slowly increasing anger. It is often put as do a slow burn , meaning “gradually grow angrier,” as in I did a slow burn when he kept me waiting for three hours . The burn in this idiom comes from burn up in the sense of “make furious.” The term was first cited in 1938 and was closely associated with comedian Edgar Kennedy.

Example Sentences

“Punish,” the latest offering from the Southern Gothic alt-pop star Ethel Cain, is a smoldering slow burn, a sparse piano ballad that stretches for nearly seven minutes and gradually corrodes.

From New York Times

Josh Levin, editorial director, Slow Burn Who you are voting for this year: Kamala Harris Why: Looking forward to saying goodbye to Donald Trump forever, whenever that may be.

From Slate

“The Name of This Band Is R.E.M.” carefully tracks the band’s remarkable trajectory from kegger parties in the college town of Athens during the early ’80s to global ubiquity and its slow burn into dissolution in 2011.

From Los Angeles Times

But it was part of the slow burn of my rebellion, of a deconstruction of the woman I’d been conditioned to be.

From Salon

The dried arbol, chipotle and guajillo chiles turn chewy with a gentle, slow burn while the almonds, sesame seeds and pepitas offer a nice crunch.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• acrimony
• animosity
• annoyance
• antagonism
• displeasure
• enmity
• exasperation
• fury
• hatred
• impatience
• indignation
• ire
• irritation
• outrage
• passion
• rage
• resentment
• temper
• violence