add fuel to the fire
This page is about the idiom add fuel to the fire
Meaning
If you add fuel to the fire, you do something to make a bad situation even worse.
For example
- People are already unhappy, and if the government allows oil prices to increase it'll just be adding fuel to the fire.
- If Billy's angry, don't say anything. You'll just be adding fuel to the fire.
Origin: Probably metaphorical, from the fact that adding a fuel, like petrol or wood, to a fire will make it burn brighter and hotter.
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Contributor: Matt Errey