cool off

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cool off (third-person singular simple present cools off, present participle cooling off, simple past and past participle cooled off)

1. (intransitive) To decrease in temperature, activity, or temper.

   You are getting a little too angry; you need to cool off.

   The metal will take about three hours to cool off after the molding.

2. (transitive) To cause to decrease in temperature, activity or temper.

   At first he was very angry, but his friends managed to cool him off.

3. (intransitive) To lose interest or enthusiasm .
   • 1974 December 11, Lord Mowbray and Stourton, “Future Of The Railways”, in House of Lords Hansard‎, volume 355, column 655:

     While talking about freight, I must express my regret that the Government seem to be cooling off on the Channel Tunnel.

   • 2013 April 18, James Ball, Tom Clark, “Margaret Thatcher taught Britain to love business, poll finds”, in The Guardian‎, archived from the original on 2021-11-30:

     The YouGov research – contrary to other polls – also suggested Brits have cooled off on the idea of Thatcher's flagship "right to buy" policy

   • 2015 April 11, Michael Beschloss, “Presidents Who Knew the Babe”, in The New York Times‎, archived from the original on 2022-12-27:

     But, by Lieb’s account, the scheming for Ruth’s endorsement collapsed when the Black Sox scandal erupted, and the Harding men “cooled off on the whole subject.”

   • 2019, William Arntz, How to Suffer ... In 10 Easy Steps: Discover, Embrace and Own the Mechanics of Misery‎, Watkins Media, →ISBN:

     He talked with the Montgomerys and learned that it was working — they were cooling off on the deal.

4. (intransitive) To be imprisoned.

   He's cooling off in the state pen.

5. (transitive, slang) To kill (someone).
6. (intransitive, slang) To wait for a furor to die down; to hide during a police manhunt.

   After doing the job, he went to the safehouse to cool off.