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light a fire under
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 “ignite,” a usage dating from the mid-1100s.
Example Sentences
As his Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent openly admitted, these threats are designed to "light a fire" under such stalled talks.
She’s always going to her for advice, and Hamby always seems to know when to nurture and when to light a fire under Burrell.
“I think it would light a fire under people to show that we can do some things that we didn’t think we could do,” said Alagona, who in 2016 founded the California Grizzly Research Network.
Wouldn’t that light a fire under you?
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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