slow burn

Meanings

nounslow burn (plural slow burns)

plural slow burns · alternative slow-burn

idiomaticSomething that emerges or unfolds slowly or gradually.
My own very personal journey into the deepest love of all – that of a parent for a child – was a slow burn. But it left me deeply connected to Milo in a way that I never imagined.
2012 May 5, Jim Keeble, “I was a slow-burn dad”, in The Guardian
2 more examples
The ‘carbon bomb’ stored in the thawing Arctic permafrost may be released in a slow leak as global warming takes hold, rather than an eruption, according to new research. [see title]
2015 April 9, Karl Mathiesen, “Permafrost 'carbon bomb' may be more of a slow burn, say scientists”, in The Guardian
Thinking of AI like a bomb makes it seem like something that is deployed in a singular event, albeit one with devastating consequences rather than the slow burn that is consuming jobs and culture.
2023 August 22, Peter Lewis, “AI is not a one-time bomb, but a slow burn of devastation that is consuming jobs and culture”, in The Guardian
Synonyms: slow burner
1. idiomaticA gradually increasing expression of emotion, especially anger or frustration.
  He's been in a slow burn all morning.
  3 more examples
  In the ninth inning of a game with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Johnny Temple, Cincinnati Redleg second baseman, let a hot grounder sizzle through his legs, looked up to see the Scoreboard flash "error" and began a slow burn.
  1957 July 1, “Scoreboard”, in Time, archived from the original on 19 Oct 2011
  Revson breathed deeply. “I shall try to conceal my slow burn, what the Victorians would call my mounting exasperation. I thought we had parted friends.”
  1976, Alistair MacLean, The Golden Gate, page 125
  The comedy comes from the patient slow burn of the parents as they try to ignore the explosive belligerence of the boys.
  2008 July 25, Ty Burr, “‘Step Brothers’ is crude, rude—and funny”, in The Boston Globe (film review), archived from the original on 30 Aug 2008
  Synonyms: slow burner · Antonyms: outburst
2. idiomaticfictionA work of fiction with a slow-paced plot; also, such a storyline.
  Despite its dramatic opening, this is a slow burn of a novel. Salvioni might not display the flair of [Elena] Ferrante, but Francesca and Maddalena are vibrant characters for whom we quickly root.
  2024 June 16, Lucy Popescu, “The Cursed Friend by Beatrice Salvioni review – rebels with a cause”, in The Observer
  2 more examples
  The second episode of tonight’s two part finale is the culmination of a storyline first introduced way back in the first season (episode ten, “Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind”). That aired over seven years ago. Even shows that pay very close attention to serialization rarely manage that kind of slow burn.
  2021 September 6, Zack Handlen, “Rick And Morty ends its fifth season looking for an escape hatch”, in The A.V. Club
  You might politely describe this werewolf thriller set in the English countryside, in which the werewolf is kept off-camera, as a slow-burn. A devastating revelation awaits us at the end, but for the first two-ish-thirds of the movie we watch a man in a cottage […] looking alarmed and perturbed, possibly having a psychotic breakdown.
  2023 May 2, Cath Clarke, “Wolf Garden review – English rural werewolf horror is a major slow burn”, in The Guardian
  Synonyms: slow burner
3. idiomaticslangfictionA romantic story (especially a work of fan fiction) in which the central relationship develops slowly.
  Slow burns are torture. Why wait? I want my characters getting down and dirty ASAP, and there's nothing wrong with that.
  2019, Robinwritesallthethings, “porn with plot”, in Lemon, page 62
  2 more examples
  Another familiar trope, the slow burn, teases the reader as characters secretly pine for one another . . . for a long time.
  2018, Francesca DiPiazza, Fandom: Fic Writers, Vidders, Gamers, Artists, and Cosplayers, page 30
  On some nights, I want a good long, juicy 70k word slowburn, mutual pining, angst (with a happy ending, of course, I'm not a monster).
  2021, Aditi Dubey, “Considering Fanfic”, in Rabbit Hole, number 1, Australian National University, page 33
  Synonyms: slow burner
4. idiomaticentertainmentA song that relies on anticipation and steady momentum; characteristically may be sparse or atmospheric.
  "Neon Gravestones" is a forlorn slow burn by Twenty One Pilots.
  Synonyms: slow burner