do a slow burn: meaning & examples

Meanings:

• 1.

  General Englishinformalneutral
  • To experience or display a gradually increasing feeling of anger, irritation, or resentment rather than an immediate outburst.
  • To react progressively and quietly with growing displeasure or hurt over time.

  Examples

  Beta

  • Instead of yelling, he did a slow burn, showing his irritation little by little during the meeting.

    En lugar de gritar, mostró su irritación gradualmente durante la reunión.

  • I noticed she was doing a slow burn after the criticism, even though she didn't say anything at the time.

    Noté que ella se molestaba poco a poco después de la crítica, aunque no dijo nada en ese momento.

  • Watching him do a slow burn over the decision made me realize how upset he truly was.

    Ver cómo se molestaba poco a poco por la decisión me hizo dar cuenta de lo molesto que estaba realmente.

• 2.

  General Englishinformaltheatrical
  • To portray or allow an emotion to build slowly and deliberately for dramatic or comedic effect, often rather than expressing it overtly at once.
  • To generate slow, sustained intensity in a performance, narrative, or presentation so that the emotional impact accumulates.

  Examples

  Beta

  • The actor did a slow burn in the play, gradually building tension that captivated the audience.

    El actor interpretó una ira contenida en la obra, aumentando la tensión gradualmente y cautivando al público.

  • In the comedy, she did a slow burn as the jokes piled up, making the punchline even funnier.

    En la comedia, ella mostró una creciente irritación que hizo que el remate fuera aún más divertido.

  • The writer did a slow burn with the protagonist’s frustration, revealing it subtly over chapters.

    El escritor mostró la frustración del protagonista de forma gradual y sutil a lo largo de los capítulos.