What it means
Means you’ve made a tense situation even worse by saying or doing the exact wrong thing. Picture a small blaze that might’ve died down, then someone lobs petrol on it and boom, drama. You’ll hear it in rows, family squabbles, workplace beef, anywhere emotions are already running hot. Best move is usually zip it.
Usage examples
"He was calming down after the argument, then you brought up the unpaid rent. Nice one, mate, you’ve just added fuel to the fire."
"They were nearly done arguing, then he brought up her ex, and that just added fuel to the fire for the rest of the night."
"Mum was just about over it, then my brother mentioned the missing money and absolutely added fuel to the fire."
"The meeting was already getting spicy, and then Darren started blaming sales. Proper fuel to the fire, that."
Where it comes from
This image goes way back. Ancient writers, including in Latin, already used the idea of throwing oil on flames to mean making trouble worse. English kept that same fiery picture and the phrasing settled in over time, which is probably why it still lands so clean when someone's made a bad situation properly explode.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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