boil down

Etymology
As an allusion to the technique of reduction or decreasing liquid content of food by boiling much of its water off.

Verb

 * 1)  To reduce in volume by boiling.
 * He boiled the soup down so it wouldn't be so weak.
 * 1)  To become reduced (to the most central elements or ingredients: to the essence, core, or implication for action).
 * So what this boils down to is that you still owe me that fifty bucks.
 * 1)  To reduce (to the most central elements or ingredients: to the essence, core, or implication for action).
 * My dissertation is 342 pages long, and I'm required to boil it down to a one-page abstract?!
 * My dissertation is 342 pages long, and I'm required to boil it down to a one-page abstract?!

Usage notes

 * Usually followed by, as in some of the examples above.
 * What usually get boiled down are problems, arguments, statements, etc.

Translations

 * Japanese:
 * Portuguese:
 * Spanish:


 * French:
 * Korean:
 * Portuguese: resumir-se
 * Russian: ,
 * Spanish:
 * Ukrainian: зво́дитися, звести́ся


 * Catalan:
 * German:
 * Italian:, ,
 * Korean: 조리다
 * Portuguese:, ,
 * Spanish: