coddle
/'kɔdl/
Definition
- Verb:
- To cook gently in water just below the boiling point: To prepare food, especially eggs, by heating them in water that is hot but not vigorously boiling.
- To treat with excessive care or indulgence: To be overly protective and lenient towards someone, often to the point of spoiling them or hindering their development of independence.
Examples of Usage
- Verb (Cooking):
- The recipe says to coddle the eggs for exactly six minutes.
- She coddles the fruit to make a delicate sauce.
- Verb (Treating Indulgently):
- Some parents coddle their children and never let them face any difficulty.
- He was coddled by his grandparents his entire childhood.
Advanced Usage
- "To coddle oneself": To indulge in excessive self-pampering or to be overly gentle with oneself.
- After a long week, she decided to coddle herself with a spa day.
- The term often carries a negative connotation when referring to people, implying that the treatment is weakening or counterproductive.
Variants and Related Words
- Coddled (adj): Describes something that has been cooked gently or a person who has been treated too indulgently.
- coddled eggs; a coddled child
- Coddler (n): A person who coddles others; also, a type of pan used for gentle cooking.
- As a parent, he is a notorious coddler.
Synonyms
- Pamper: To indulge with every comfort or attention (often more neutral or positive than ).
- Cosset: To pamper and protect excessively.
- Mollycoddle: To be overly protective and indulgent (stronger negative connotation than ).
- Baby: To treat like an infant, with excessive care.
- Poach: To cook in simmering liquid (a specific culinary synonym for the cooking sense).
Related Phrases
- "Don't coddle me!": An expression used to tell someone not to treat you as fragile or incapable.
- I can handle the truth, so don't coddle me!
Notes on Meaning
The word has two distinct meanings. The culinary meaning is neutral and technical. The meaning related to treating people is generally used in a critical or disapproving way, suggesting that such treatment prevents someone from becoming resilient or self-sufficient. It is less severe than its close relative mollycoddle.
Verb
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cook in nearly boiling water
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coddle eggs
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treat with excessive indulgence
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grandparents often pamper the children
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Let's not mollycoddle our students!
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