Fire

Fire

For thousands of years, fire has been a symbol of warmth, danger, and strong emotion. English has many expressions that use the word fire.

When someone is playing with fire, it means they are taking a big risk. A person who lies to his boss is playing with fire, because if the truth comes out, he may lose his job.

To be on fire can mean something very good. A basketball player who scores again and again is on fire. It means he is doing extremely well.

But to be under fire is not good. It means being criticized. For example, a politician may be under fire if people think he made a mistake.

Sometimes, fire describes strong feelings. If a person speaks with fire in his heart, it means he speaks with great passion and energy.

The phrase add fuel to the fire means to make a bad situation worse. Imagine two people arguing. A third person makes a rude comment. That adds fuel to the fire.

The expression fight fire with fire means to use the same methods as your opponent, even if they are aggressive. For example, in sports, one team may play roughly, and the other team decides to fight fire with fire.

If you are fired up, you are full of excitement or motivation. A teacher may say, “My students are fired up to learn.”

So, fire in English can warm your home or burn your house down. It can mean energy and success, or danger and destruction.

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