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fuel |
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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. fuel something (up) to put fuel into something. I have to fuel this car up before I go any farther. I need to fuel up the car. fuel up to fill one's tank with fuel. Let's stop here and fuel up. I need to fuel up at the next little town. See also: up take fuel on to refuel; to be refueled. (Usually said of a large conveyance, such as a ship or a plane.) We need to land at the next major airport to take fuel on. We will land somewhere to take on fuel. See also: take 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. 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? Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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