on fire

English

Etymology

From Middle English on fier, on fijre, on fire, on fyire, on fyre.

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

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Prepositional phrase

on fire

1. Being burned by fire.

   Synonyms: afire, aflame, alight, burning, flaming, in flames, going up in smoke

   If the wind picks up and the flames spread, the whole town could go on fire.

2. (idiomatic) Overwhelmed with emotion; beside oneself.
   • 2022 [2021], Jill Bolte Taylor, “The Brain Huddle: Your Power Tool for Peace”, in Whole Brain Living: The Anatomy of Choice and the Four Characters That Drive Our Life, Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, →ISBN, page 160:

     Anytime I am on fire with anxiety about the future, or totally freaking out that I am not being seen, heard, or treated fairly based on my old wounds, it is easy for me to RECOGNIZE that my Character 2 has flared right up in an attempt to not only protect me but help me get my needs met.

3. (idiomatic) Excited, enthusiastic or passionate.
   • 1975 November 6, Robert E. Johnson, “The Prodigal Returns To His First Love: The Beauty Industry”, in Jet, volume 49, number 7, page 21:

     “I'm on fire with an idea,” the 48-year-old businessman proclaimed with excitement similar to that which he projected in 1971 when his company became the first predominantly Black-owned corporation to be listed on the American Stock Exchange.

4. (idiomatic) Doing very well; achieving good results at a rapid rate.

   Synonyms: on a roll, on a tear

   That striker has scored four goals so far – he's on fire!

5. (idiomatic, informal) Sexually aroused.
6. (hyperbolic, of a body part) Experiencing a burning-like sensation, especially "the burn" (from buildup of lactic acid)
   • 2016, Eric Fair, Consequence, page 28:

     He locks us into a crouched position that results in muscle failure of the quads, hamstrings, and calves. It hurts. We raise ten-pound rubber rifles and hold them parallel to the ground. Our legs are on fire, then our arms too.

Derived terms

• get on like a house on fire
• I wouldn't piss on someone if they were on fire

Translations

being burned by fire

• Dutch: in brand, in de fik, in de hens, in lichterlaaie
• Finnish: tulessa (fi)
• French: en feu
• Galician: ó lume, ao lume
• Georgian: იწვის (ic̣vis)
• German: in Brand, in Flammen (both construed with the verb stehen)
• Gothic: 𐍆𐌿𐌽𐌹𐍃𐌺𐍃 (funisks)
• Irish: le thine
• Italian: in fiamme
• Latin: ardens, flagrans, igneus (la)
• Polish: płonąć (pl) (literally to burn)
• Portuguese: pegando fogo, em chamas
• Spanish: en fuego, en llamas
• Swedish: i brand, brinnande (sv)
• Welsh: ar dân

rapidly achieving good results

• Azerbaijani: qan eləmək, sikib-dağıtmaq (vulgar, slang)
• Finnish: vauhdissa
• German: einen Lauf haben (de) (verb)
• Polish: na fali (pl)
• Russian: в уда́ре (ru) (v udáre)
• Spanish: en fuego, en racha, a tope

Further reading

• “on fire adj.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present

Anagrams

• forein, infero-