flame

add fuel to the fire and add fuel to the flame

Fig. to make a problem worse; to say or do something that makes a bad situation worse; to make an angry person get even angrier. (Alludes to causing a flame to grow larger someone or something to move forward when fuel is added.) Shouting at a crying child just adds fuel to the fire.

See also: add, fire, fuel

burn with a low blue flame 

1. Lit. [of a properly adjusted gas burner] to burn and put off heat. Each burner on the stove burns with a low blue flame giving the maximum amount of heat per BTU.

2. Fig. to be quietly and intensely angry. She just sat there with her steak in her lap, burning with a low blue flame. She was quiet, but everyone knew she would soon burn with a low blue flame.

3. Fig. to be heavily intoxicated with alcohol. (Alludes to the irritability of a person who is very drunk.) Yeah, he's burning with a low blue flame. He's not just drunk, he's burning with a low blue flame.

See also: blue, burn, low

burst into flame(s)

[for something] to catch fire and become a large fire quickly. As soon as the flame reached the curtains, the entire wall seemed to burst into flames. The two cars burst into flames soon after the collision.

See also: burst

drawn like a moth to a flame

Fig. attracted [to someone or some event] instinctively or very strongly, as a moth is drawn to the light of a flame. Customers were drawn to the sale like a moth to aflame. They came from all over and bought up everything in the store.

See also: drawn, like, moth

fan the flames (of something)

Fig. to make something more intense; to make a situation worse. The riot fanned the flames of racial hatred even more. The hostility in the school is bad enough without anyone fanning the flames.

See also: fan

flame up 

1. [for something] to catch fire and burst into flames. The trees flamed up one by one in the forest fire. Suddenly the car flamed up and exploded.

2. [for a fire] to expand and send out larger flames. The raging fire flamed up and jumped to even more trees. As firemen opened the door and came in, the fire flamed up and filled the room.

See also: up

flame with anger and flame with resentment; flame with lust; flame with vengeance

Fig. [for someone's eyes] to "blaze" or seem to communicate a particular quality or excitement, usually a negative feeling. His eyes flamed with resentment when he heard Sally's good news. Her eyes flamed with hatred.

See also: anger

go down in flames 

1. Lit. [for a plane] to crash. The enemy fighter planes went down in flames, ending the battle. The pilot and crew went down in flames near the air-port.

2. . Fig. to fail spectacularly. The whole project went down in flames. Todd wentdown in flames in his efforts to win the heart of Marsha.

go up in flames and go up in smoke 

1. Lit. to burn up completely. The entire forest went up in flames! The expensive house went up in smoke.

2. Fig. [for value or investment] to be lost suddenly and totally. Everything we own has gone up in flames with the stock crash. The entire investment went up in smoke.

See also: up

shoot someone down in flames

Fig. to ruin someone; to bring about someone's downfall. (See also go down in flames.) It was a bad idea, okay, but you didn't have to shoot me down in flames at the meeting. I didn't mean to shoot you down in flames.

See also: shoot

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add fuel to the fire/flames

to make an argument or a bad situation worse His mild words only added fuel to the fire. Isabelle was furious.

See also: add, fire, fuel

an old flame

a person who you had a romantic relationship with in the past I bumped into an old flame of yours in Oxford on Saturday.

See also: old

fan the flames

to cause anger or other bad feelings to increase (usually + of ) His speeches fanned the flames of racial tension.

See also: fan

go up in flames

to fail or come to an end suddenly and completely Final hopes of a pay settlement went up in flames yesterday after talks broke down.

See fan the flames, shoot down in flames

See also: up

like moths to a flame  (literary)

if people gather round someone like moths to a flame, they try to be near someone who seems very attractive or very interesting

Usage notes: Moths are small flying insects that are attracted to bright light.

I never understood why people flocked around him like moths to a flame.

See also: like, moth

shoot something/somebody down in flames  (informal)

to strongly criticize an idea or plan, or to refuse to accept it Several months ago this highly impractical idea would have been shot down in flames. I thought I'd made a sensible suggestion, but they just shot me down in flames.

See also: shoot

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add fuel to the fire

to make a situation worse than it already is Should the government warn the public of terrorist threats, or is this merely adding fuel to the fire?

See also: add, fire, fuel

fan the flames (of something)

to cause an increase in negative feelings These images of war could be used to fan the flames of hatred against our country.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of fan the flames (to cause air to flow toward a fire)

See also: fan

go down in flames also go up in flames

to fail or end suddenly and completely We've seen two big mass-transit plans go down in flames in the last two years. The idea of self-respect went up in flames a long time ago.

Related vocabulary: go up in smoke

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of a plane that goes down in flames (falls to the ground and burns)