slow burn

noun, Informal.

a gradual building up of anger, as opposed to an immediate outburst:

I did a slow burn as the conversation progressed.

Examples from the web for slow burn

Rather than a swift detonation, he has settled into a slow burn.
However, it is the potential and slow burn of this particular bi-regional partnership that has thus far escaped the critics.
Ginger beer is a good place to start, the slow burn of the ginger acting as a cooler in hot weather.
It's no wonder the federal judge presiding over the case has been doing a slow burn.
But as far as arts and culture are concerned, it's been a slow burn.
Fire behavior can range from a creeping slow burn ground fire to a wind-driven running crown fire with long range spotting.
Conversely, higher emissions will result from a slow burn rate and a lower flame intensity.
Grace shrugged in an effort to subdue the slow burn of her body.

British Dictionary definitions for slow burn

slow burn

noun

a steadily penetrating show of anger or contempt

Slang definitions & phrases for slow burn

slow burn

modifier

: Slow-burn resentment gave rise to a flinty local jargon

noun phrase

A gradually increasing anger: He remembered Edgar Kennedy and his slow burns (1930s+)

Related Terms

do a slow burn

Idioms and Phrases with slow burn

slow burn

Slowly increasing anger. It is often put as do a slow burn, meaning “gradually grow angrier,” as in I did a slow burn when he kept me waiting for three hours. The burn in this idiom comes from burn up in the sense of “make furious.” The term was first cited in 1938 and was closely associated with comedian Edgar Kennedy.