2 definitions
for boil down
From WordNet (r) 2.0 :
boil down
v 1: be the essential element; "The proposal boils down to a
compromise" [syn: reduce, come down]
2: be cooked until very little liquid is left; "The sauce
should reduce to one cup" [syn: reduce, decoct, concentrate]
3: cook until very little liquid is left; "The cook reduced the
sauce by boiling it for a long time" [syn: reduce, concentrate]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 :
43 Moby Thesaurus words for "boil down":
abbreviate, abridge, abstract, bob, capsulize, clip, compress,
condense, contract, crop, curtail, cut, cut back, cut down,
cut off short, cut short, dock, elide, epitomize, foreshorten, mow,
nip, poll, pollard, prune, reap, recap, recapitulate, reduce,
retrench, shave, shear, shorten, snub, streamline, stunt, sum up,
summarize, synopsize, take in, telescope, trim, truncate