- cool down
- cool off & cool down1. Lit. to lose or reduce heat. •
I wish my soup would cool off. I'm hungry.
•It'll cool down this evening, after dusk.
2. Fig. to let one's anger die away. (As the “heat” of anger declines.) •I'm sorry I got angry. I'll cool off in a minute.
•Cool off, Tom. There is no sense getting so excited.
3. Fig. to let one's passion or love die away. (As the “heat” of passion declines.) •Ted: Is Bob still in love with Jane? Bill: No, he's cooled off a lot.
* * *or[cool off] {v.} To lose or cause to lose the heat of any deep feeling (as love, enthusiasm, or anger); make or become calm, cooled or indifferent; lose interest. * /A heated argument can be settled better if both sides cool down first./ * /John was deeply in love with Sally before he left for college, but he cooled off before he got back./ * /Their friendship cooled off when Jack gave up football./ * /The neighbor's complaint about the noise cooled the argument down./
Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.