sizzle

Everyday

1. To make a hissing, spitting sound like food frying in hot fat: The sausages sizzled in the pan. tree →
2. (informal) To be very hot: a sizzling summer day. tree →
3. (informal) To be exciting or full of energy: a sizzling performance. tree →
4. (noun) The sound of sizzling. tree →

In the lessons

In stories and cooking, sizzle is a sound word (onomatopoeia) that helps readers hear the scene. In safety: hot oil that sizzles can spit and burn, so keep back. In weather talk, «a sizzling 35 degrees» means very hot. In marketing, «sizzle» means excitement. Phrases: «sizzling hot», «sizzle in the pan», «all sizzle and no steak» (all show, no substance).

Examples

• The bacon sizzled in the frying pan. tree →
• Stand back — the oil is sizzling! tree →
• It was a sizzling hot day at the beach. tree →
• I love the sizzle of sausages on a barbecue. tree →
• The dancers gave a sizzling show. tree →
• Water drops sizzled on the hot stove. tree →
• That advert is all sizzle and no steak. tree →
• In the middle of it, a pan full of oil sizzled over a smoky fire, sending out a repelling odor of tallow that took away one’s breath. tree →

Note

Regular verb: sizzled (drop the e). Onomatopoeia: the word sounds like its meaning. Adjective: sizzling.