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

The “signature sauce” was basically mayo, and the heat level of the other — a russet-toned condiment meant to impart spice to the patty — registered as a slow burn, but was no match for Popeyes’ famous kick.

From Washington Post

It’s a delicious slow burn friends-to-lovers romance full of witty banter and just the perfect amount of steam.

From Washington Post

These are a slow burn, accruing 10 to 20 miles per survey and requiring you to take qualifying questions to determine if you are in the target audience.

From Washington Post

Instead, the story goes, there was a slow burn—until the early 1700s, at which point Newton’s corrected and improved later editions, along with a growing interest among scientists, began to finally have an impact.

From Nautilus

The wider adoption of AI across industries has been a bit of a slow burn over the past several years as company founders and executives begin to understand what the technology could do for their businesses.

From TechCrunch

But the real drama would develop during long slow burn that came next.

From The Daily Beast

Alex Edwards, Founder of Natural High, agrees with this slow-burn philosophy.

From The Daily Beast

The Americans has given us both a chilly pleasure and a slow burn in the proximity of its antagonists.

From The Daily Beast

Quincy described his show as a “slow burn” with a “nice, melancholy sweetness to it like Charlie Brown.”

From The Daily Beast

There are “not a lot of Rwandas, but a lot of slow-burn horrific conflicts,” she said.

From The Daily Beast

The blows were weak, for I was still dazed; but they served, together with the slow burn of my anger, greatly to steady me.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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