put on the back burner
idiom

- to reduce the importance, urgency or priority of something, like a task or a decision

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WORD ORIGIN

A burner refers to the devices on gas stoves that are lighted in order to produce a flame over which food can be cooked. Most stoves have four burners, two in the front and two in the back. When cooking, things that require immediate attention are usually placed on the front burners. These are dishes that have to be stirred or turned over for instance.

Things that can simmer, or cook slowly on low heat, without requiring constant attention can be put on the back burners. Thus putting something on the back burner is a metaphor for things that do not demand immediate attention. This can be an activity, an event or a decision. The expression is usually in the form of "put on the back burner."

However, other verb/preposition combinations can be used:

- place on the back burner

- push to the back burner

- move to the back burner

- shift to the back burner

Conversely, if something is on the back burner and then becomes a priority, it can be put on the FRONT BURNER.

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Speaking of cooking, here are a few additional idioms that can be useful:

- let's get cooking! - another way of saying "let's get started"

- to cook up something - to fabricate or invent something (He cooked up an excuse not to attend the meeting)

- to cook one's/someone's goose - to ruin or spoil one's/someone's chances (He cooked his goose by not showing up for the meeting)

- to cook the books - to maintain false financial records (They cooked the books to make the sales figures appear higher)

- too many cooks spoil the broth - an idiom which means that if too many people try to work on the same activity, they will spoil it

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Practice OWAD in a conversation today.

Say something like:

"Let's PUT that investment ON THE BACK BURNER until we see the end of quarter results."