Etymology

jell out

Today it means: To loaf around, relax, hang out; to be distracted or dreamy. Full definition →

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jell out · verb1

Uncertain. Plausibly a eggcorn from, or a humorously intentional alteration of, chill out. Alternatively, perhaps a figurative extension from the gelatin-related sense, as gelatins are allowed to rest while they set up, and their setting up involves stasis and calm.

jell out · verb2

Phrasal verb with particle, denotatively equaling the nonphrasal counterpart (in at least one sense or subsense thereof), which is a phenomenon with many instances (for example, dry out and dry, shrivel up and shrivel, sit down and sit).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.