Boil down
(PW) make shorter, condense
This whole complicated situation just boils down to something simple…… it’s either a yes or a no.
(thePhraseFinder)It relates to cooking. Some dishes have to be cooked for a long while to remove excess water. The meal is left only after the ingredients have been 'boiled down' to something more solid than the original liquid form.: 'boiling down' is usually called 'reducing' but there are other equally useful expressions that refer to the process of evapourating water from liquids until they are more concentrated.: I think 'boiling down' most often refers to making 'stock' which is a conentrated liquid used in sauces and gravies.The cooking metaphor is used to describe any situation where you wish to eliminate non essential elements of a complex concept, an understanding, an agreement or an argument. To 'boil it down to the essential points' is to reduce all the side issues and go right to the heart of whatever topic you're discussing. It suggests simplifying the issue to the most relevant content before proceeding further in a discussion or an analysis.
(MW)transitive verb1 : to reduce in bulk by boiling2 : condense, summarize intransitive verb 1 : to undergo reduction in bulk by boiling2 a : to be equivalent in summary : amount b : to reduce ultimately (freedictionary)boil down1. To reduce in bulk or size by boiling.2. To condense; summarize: boiled down the complex document.3. To constitute the equivalent of in summary: The scathing editorial simply boils down to an exercise in partisan politics.vb (adverb)1. (Chemistry) to reduce or be reduced in quantity and usually altered in consistency by boiling to boil a liquid down to a thick glueboil down toa. (intr) to be the essential element in somethingb. (tr) to summarize; reduce to essentialsVerb 1. boil down - be the essential element; "The proposal boils down to a compromise"come down, reduce, become, turn - undergo a change or development; "The water turned into ice"; "Her former friend became her worst enemy"; "He turned traitor" 2. boil down - be cooked until very little liquid is left; "The sauce should reduce to one cup"decoct, concentrate, reduce cookery, cooking, preparation - the act of preparing something (as food) by the application of heat; "cooking can be a great art"; "people are needed who have experience in cookery"; "he left the preparation of meals to his wife"decrease, diminish, lessen, fall - decrease in size, extent, or range; "The amount of homework decreased towards the end of the semester"; "The cabin pressure fell dramatically"; "her weight fell to under a hundred pounds"; "his voice fell to a whisper" 3. boil down - cook until very little liquid is left; "The cook reduced the sauce by boiling it for a long time"concentrate, reducecookery, cooking, preparation - the act of preparing something (as food) by the application of heat; "cooking can be a great art"; "people are needed who have experience in cookery"; "he left the preparation of meals to his wife"minify, decrease, lessen - make smaller; "He decreased his staff"
