On the back burner
2018.03.07
Meaning:
Most stoves in Western kitchens have front burners and back burners. Western-style soups etc need long, slow cooking – but they don’t need much attention. So we put soups etc on the back burner, and use the front burners for things like steaks (that need attention). Because of this, we developed the expression ‘to put it on the back burner’. I use this at work a lot. If I say, ‘put that project on the back-burner’ it means ‘Don’t work on that project now; other projects are more important’.
Example:
A: John, you take dancing lessons, right?
B: Well, no. I had to put dancing on the back burner because work is so busy nowadays.
Talking Point(s):
What tasks have you put on the back burner recently?
大人からの英会話getgo 西船橋・荻窪・津田沼・本八幡