go off the boil
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Pass the stage at which interest, activity, etc. is at its greatest.
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
I knew as soon as I wrote it down I'd go off the boil.
The second series really went off the boil because there was much more emphasis on the woman lawyer.
British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Figurative class: Metaphor (PIE-English corpus, CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).
Common questions
What does “go off the boil” mean?
Pass the stage at which interest, activity, etc. is at its greatest.
Is “go off the boil” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.