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cool off

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cool off

 and cool down 

1. Lit. to lose or reduce heat. I wish my soup would cool off. I'm hungry. It'll cool down this evening, after dusk.

2. Fig. to let one's anger die away. (As the "heat" of anger declines.) I'm sorry I got angry. I'll cool off in a minute. Cool off, Tom. There is no sense getting so excited.

3. Fig. to let one's passion or love die away. (As the "heat" of passion declines.) Ted: Is Bob still in love with Jane? Bill: No, he's cooled off a lot.

See also: cool, off

cool off

1. see cool down.

2. Also, cool down or out . Calm down, become less ardent, angry, or agitated, as in We can't discuss it until you've cooled off. The verb cool alone has been used in this sense since approximately a.d. 1000; off and down were added in the late 1800s, and Davy Crockett's Almanac (1836) had: "Resting a while, just long enough to cool out a little."

3. Also, cool out. Kill someone, as in They threatened to cool off his brother. [Slang; first half of 1800s] Also see cool out, def. 2.

See also: cool, off

cool off

v.

1. To cool to a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat: The kids jumped in the lake to cool off.

2. To cool something or someone to a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat: The air conditioner cooled off the building. My soup was hot, but blowing on it cooled it off.

3. To become calm after a period of anger or conflict: Have things cooled off in that part of the world?

4. To calm someone or something that is angry or contentious: The coach took the angry players aside and cooled them off. The counselor cooled off the fighting campers.

5. To have a period of outstanding performance come to an end: They scored ten points in the first half of the game but cooled off in the second. The stock market cooled off after the latest unemployment report was released.

6. To lose passion: Their romance has cooled off.

See also: cool, off

cool off

in. to calm down. I knew things would cool off eventually.

See also: cool, off