Get 'Fired Up' with These Expressions

Fire symbolizes many things in different cultures around the world, and is used to talk about everything from emotions to difficult situations in English. For example, when it is easy to make someone angry, or if they are very emotional, we say that they are "fiery."

When you have "fire in your belly," you're determined to succeed. The phrase probably comes from the feeling of pain caused by great hunger.

Similarly, if you are "fired up," you really want to do or achieve something.

A "baptism of fire" is a challenging introduction or beginning to something, such as a new job. The phrase comes from Christian baptism ceremonies, where people become members of the religion, and which usually just involve water.

Sometimes, a challenge can really "light a fire under you," or make you want to work harder. If someone really did light a fire under you, you'd move very quickly!

To "play with fire" is to do something dangerous or risky. The phrase comes from the fact that if you play with fire, you're likely to get burnt.

If your dangerous or risky behavior makes a problem worse, you could say that you've "added fuel to the fire." In this phrase "fuel" just refers to wood, rather than gasoline or diesel.

At that point, someone might need to "put out the fire," which simply means to solve or deal with a problem.

Discussion

1.Which of the expressions in the article did you find interesting? Why?

2.Do you know anyone you'd describe as fiery?

3.Have you ever experienced a baptism of fire?

4.Do you ever have to put out fires at work?

5.Does fire appear in many expressions in your language?

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