where there's smoke there's fire


Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Medical, Encyclopedia.

where there's smoke, there's fire

proverb When there is some indication of a problem or wrongdoing, such a thing probably occurred or exists. The investigation wouldn't be taking this long if there weren't any real leads. Where there's smoke, there's fire.
See also: fire
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

where there's smoke there's fire

Every rumor has some foundation; when things appear suspicious, something is wrong. The metaphor for this idea already appeared in John Heywood’s Proverbs (1546): “There is no fyre without smoke,” and indeed it is a proverb in Italian, French, German, and Spanish.
See also: fire, smoke
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer
See also:
References in periodicals archive ?
"Where there's smoke there's fire is an age-old adage," Shah said.
Case Study: Double Trouble in Hawaiian High-Rises
Defending oneself is equally useless, because most people believe "where there's smoke there's fire." I do, too, but I'm not convinced that the smoke and fire have a common origin.
Dirty politics, '90s style
"Where there's smoke there's fire," he said, pointing to another problem with cigatettes.
Smoking bills on agenda
This "where there's smoke there's fire" strategy treats causal links and connective tissue as incidental.
4/26 Conspiracy Breaks On Alien Day, Coincidence? (Yes)
Idioms browser ?
Full browser ?