51³Ō¹Ļ

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light a fire under



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Idioms and Phrases

Also, build a fire under . Urge or goad to action, as in If we don't light a fire under that committee, they'll never do any work . This hyperbolic colloquialism uses light in the sense of ā€œignite,ā€ a usage dating from the mid-1100s.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Wouldnā€™t that light a fire under you?

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Verona Frankish, chief executive of online estate agent Yopa, said the changes "will certainly light a fire under those buyers currently progressing through the transaction process, or considering a purchase this side of Christmas".

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"A bit of youth is a good thing. I think he'll light a fire under the French government, which seems to be showing some signs of age," agreed the fishmonger, Johan Chassevent, 49, as he shucked a pile of Coquilles St Jacques.

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The White House is trying to light a fire under Congress to pass $106 billion in war aid for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, but the emergency funding isnā€™t dire enough for Democrats to cut a deal with Republicans on border security.

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And while Tanevā€™s crash-and-bang ways should light a fire under the team whenever heā€™s out there, his teammates could stand to up their aggressiveness in all facets so he wonā€™t have to do it alone.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Ā© Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American HeritageĀ® Idioms Dictionary copyright Ā© 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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