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简体
what it boils down to
问题的关键

Date: Jan 24 2013

Quote

1. Quote - Listen to the quote and guess what the slang means.

“I think censorship is dangerous. Because it pulls out questions – who are the censors? What do they know? You know what I mean, that’s really what it boils down to.”

– Actor and rapper Ice Cube on his thoughts about censorship. (Teen Ink)

Definition

1. Definition - Study the definition.

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what something really means, basics

2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.

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Have you ever made a sauce or soup on the stove? Often, you start by bringing the liquid to a boil. Eventually, you turn down the heat. But if you kept it boiling, what would happen? All the liquid would eventually turn into a gas and vanish into the air, or evaporate. What your soup boiled down to would be thick and solid, with a strong flavor.

When you boil something down, you get rid of all the extra stuff. You go back to the main ingredients, or the essence or focus of the thing. When you say What it boils down to, you mean that you are talking about the main idea or argument of something, when you’ve gotten rid of all the extra details and noise.

Ice Cube knows that a lot of people have a lot of things to say about censorship. But for him, what it boils down to is simple: censorship is dangerous.

Think about an issue or topic that people have a lot to say about. Do you have a simple or direct take on the issue? Can you start a sentence with “what it boils down to” that expresses what you think?

Examples

1. Examples - Hear some example sentences.

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“His book was long, but what it boiled down to was his interest in ending gun violence.”

“What it boils down to is that if you want me to work, I want to be paid.”

“My philosophy on life can change, but what it boils down to is be kind to others and they will be kind to you.”

Winners

1. Winners - See who guessed the slang definition correctly.

	the most basic part by Yuci
	The main point. The bottom line by cubi1604
	what it come down to,in the end. by goodmahsa
	to be the main reason of something or to be the main part of something by bellaboo2422
	It means what the final result or conclusion is. by englishteacher24/7
	the bottom line of a question. by julito

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Comments

La Princesse de la vie

Egypt

The conflict in Egypt upon governance boils down to that no one works for the sake of the country, they all want the authority and the power :(..

jeongyaong

South Korea

Here is my take concerning North Korea. There are many arguments on North Korea, but what it boils down to is that they should stop neglecting the people dying in hunger.

Levi3262

Brazil

Here in my country we have been passing for a sad moment, we’ve been crying for the people we lost in St. Maria….

What it boils down to it’s the fact we love our nation and keep praying for all fo us !

Kat331

China

the key point

ballin25

United Kingdom

learn english very good if you have time whit someone but alon soo had im alon i dont know how find someone learn to ghadah.

GirlNinja

Brazil

It says here; learn how to use the slang, but it’s not really a slang, it’s a metaphoric expression.

julito

Argentina

Last night the two presidential candidates had on live TV a two hours heated debate on how do they expect to create new jobs and reduce the fiscal deficit. What it boils down to , is that none of the candidates has put forward realistic inputs that would bring about the changes that the dormant economy of this country is waiting for.

bellaboo2422

Pakistan

to keep the balance in our life what it boils down to set some rules or code of conducts and obey them with out and out honesty. life is like kind of maze we can’t twig all the things exactly and we can’ behave like an imp. so its necessory to keep ourselves fervent about the happenings. we should take it rationaly and gave down to a science.