1
general::
1. Simplify, summarize, or shorten, as in John finally managed to boil his thesis down to 200 pages. 2. boil down to. Be reducible to basic elements, be equivalent to. For example, What this issue boils down to is that the council doesn't want to spend more money. These metaphoric usages allude to reducing and concentrating a substance by boiling off liquid. [Late 1800s]
American Heritage Idioms
2
general::
Phrase(s): boil something down
1. Lit. to condense or thicken something, such as a liquid. • I have to boil this gravy down for a while before I can serve it. • You boil down the sauce and I’ll set the table. 2. Fig. to reduce a problem to its simple essentials. • If we could boil this problem down to its essentials, we might be able to solve it. • We don’t have time to boil down this matter. This is too urgent.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs