light a fire under
English
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
light a fire under
Where it comes from
Referring to a time when, if chimney sweeps were afraid to ascend a chimney, the fire would be lit under them in order to motivate them to climb to the top.
verb lights a fire under · lighting a fire under · lit a fire under
- To motivate or encourage (someone) to start sooner or move faster. Let me see if I can light a fire under the waiter to get our order sooner.
Talk about this word "light a fire under." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/light%20a%20fire%20under. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. light a fire under. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/light%20a%20fire%20under "light a fire under." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/light%20a%20fire%20under.Cite this
@misc{light_a_fire_under_2026,
title = {light a fire under},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/light%20a%20fire%20under},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
