burning (redirected from burningly)

burning question and the burning question

Fig. a question whose answer is of great interest to everyone; a question that needs very much to be answered, as a fire needs to be extinguished. There's a burning question that needs to be answered: Why did you leave your wife of only one month?

See also: question

keep the home fires burning

Fig. to keep things going at one's home or other central location. (From a World War I song.) My uncle kept the home fires burning when my sister and I went to school. The manager stays at the office and keeps the home fires burning while I'm out selling our products.

See also: fire, home, keep

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your ears must be burning

something that you say to someone who is being talked about All that talk about William - his ears must have been burning.

See box ears, can't believe ears, pin back ears, prick ears up, be up to ears in

See also: ear, must

have something burning a hole in your pocket  (humorous)

if someone has money burning a hole in their pocket, they want to spend it as soon as possible I had a fifty dollar bill that was burning a hole in my pocket, so I figured I'd go out and have a really good time.

See also: have, hole, pocket

keep the home fires burning

to keep your home pleasant and in good order while people who usually live with you are away, especially at war They relied on their wives and sweethearts to keep the home fires burning when they marched off to war.

See also: fire, home, keep

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burning the midnight oil

working very long hours, often into the night What doctors do know is that burning the midnight oil is bad for your health.

Etymology: from the use of oil to provide light before the invention of electricity

See also: midnight, oil