boiling

Everyday

1. Boiling describes a liquid that is so hot it bubbles and turns into steam. tree →
2. Boiling also means very hot in everyday talk, like a boiling hot day. tree →
3. As a verb form, boiling means heating a liquid until it bubbles, or cooking food in bubbling water. tree →
4. Boiling can also mean very angry, as in boiling with rage. tree →

In the lessons

In science, the boiling point is the temperature at which a liquid turns to gas; water boils at 100 °C (212 °F) at sea level. In the kitchen and in safety lessons, boiling water and a boiling kettle can burn skin badly, so children keep away from the stove. In stories, «boiling with anger» means very angry. Phrases: boiling point, boiling hot, boiling water, bring to the boil, boil over.

Examples

• The water in the pan is boiling, so stand back. tree →
• Mum is boiling some eggs for breakfast. tree →
• It's boiling hot outside today! tree →
• Water starts boiling at 100 degrees Celsius. tree →
• Never reach over a pot of boiling pasta. tree →
• Bubbles of steam rise when water is boiling. tree →
• Dad was boiling with anger when the window got smashed. tree →
• The kettle is boiling; can you hear it whistle? tree →
• "Man!" cried the General, and his brain seemed to be boiling. tree →

Note

Boiling is the -ing form of boil; past is boiled. «Boiling hot» is informal for very hot weather. Do not confuse boiling (liquid to gas) with melting (solid to liquid) or evaporating (which can happen slowly at any temperature). Steam from boiling water can burn as badly as the water. Water boils at a lower temperature high up on mountains.

In Jewish tradition

In Ezekiel's vision of the future Temple, the boiling-places are kitchens where priests' helpers cook the people's sacrifices.

Interpretation. The boiling-places show the Temple's order: the people's shared offerings were cooked in a proper, holy place.

Examples

• Then said he unto me: 'These are the boiling-places, where the ministers of the house shall boil the sacrifices of the people.' (Prophets EZK.46.24, JPS 1917) tree →
• And there was a row of masonry round about in them, round about the four, and it was made with boiling-places under the rows round about. (Prophets EZK.46.23, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Boiling is the -ing form of boil; past is boiled. «Boiling hot» is informal for very hot weather. Do not confuse boiling (liquid to gas) with melting (solid to liquid) or evaporating (which can happen slowly at any temperature). Steam from boiling water can burn as badly as the water. Water boils at a lower temperature high up on mountains.