Meaning of slow burn | Babel Free

Definitions

1. Something that emerges or unfolds slowly or gradually.
   idiomatic
2. A gradually increasing expression of emotion, espeically anger or frustration.
   idiomatic
3. A work of fiction with a slow-paced plot; also, such a storyline.
   idiomatic
4. A romantic story (especially a work of fan fiction) in which the central relationship develops slowly.
   idiomatic, slang

Examples

“My own⟳ very personal journey into the deepest love⟳ of all – that of a parent for a child – was a slow burn. But it left me deeply connected to Milo in a way that I never imagined.”

“The ‘carbon bomb’ stored in the thawing Arctic permafrost may be released in a slow leak as global warming takes hold⟳, rather than an eruption, according to new research⟳. [see⟳ title]”

“Thinking of AI like⟳ a bomb makes it seem like⟳ something that is deployed in a singular event, albeit one with devastating consequences rather than the slow burn that is consuming jobs and culture.”

“In the ninth inning of a game with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Johnny Temple, Cincinnati Redleg second baseman, let⟳ a hot grounder sizzle through his legs, looked up to see⟳ the Scoreboard flash⟳ "error" and began a slow burn.”

“Revson breathed deeply. “I shall try⟳ to conceal my slow burn, what the Victorians would call⟳ my mounting exasperation. I thought we had parted friends.””

“The comedy comes from the patient slow burn of the parents as they try⟳ to ignore⟳ the explosive belligerence of the boys.”

“The second episode of tonight’s two part finale is the culmination of a storyline first introduced way back in the first season (episode ten, “Close⟳ Rick-counters of the Rick Kind”). That aired over seven years ago. Even shows that pay⟳ very close⟳ attention to serialization rarely manage⟳ that kind of slow burn.”

“You might politely describe⟳ this werewolf thriller set⟳ in the English countryside, in which the werewolf is kept off-camera, as a slow-burn. A devastating revelation awaits us at the end⟳, but for the first two-ish-thirds of the movie we watch⟳ a man in a cottage […] looking alarmed and perturbed, possibly having a psychotic breakdown.”

“Despite its dramatic opening, this is a slow burn of a novel. Salvioni might not display the flair of [Elena] Ferrante, but Francesca and Maddalena are vibrant characters for whom we quickly root.”

“Another familiar trope, the slow burn, teases the reader as characters secretly pine for one another . . . for a long time.”

“Slow burns are torture. Why wait⟳? I want⟳ my characters getting down and dirty ASAP, and there's nothing wrong with that.”

“On some nights, I want⟳ a good long, juicy 70k word slowburn, mutual pining, angst (with a happy ending, of course, I'm not a monster).”

CEFR level