set the world on fire

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Fig. to do exciting things that bring fame and glory. (Frequently with the negative.) I'm not very ambitious. I don't want to set the world on fire. You don't have to set the world on fire. Just do a good job.

See also: fire, set, world

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? References in classic literature
A Pygmy, you know, though so very small, might set the world on fire, just as easily as a Giant could; so that this was certainly the very best way of dealing with their foe, provided they could have kept him quiet while the conflagration was going forward. Tanglewood Tales by Hawthorne, Nathaniel View in context More results

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