light a fire under someone

light a fire under someone
light a fire under someone mainly american informal phrase
to make someone work harder
Thesaurus: to make someone work hardsynonym
Main entry: light

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I
stimulate someone to work or act more quickly or enthusiastically
II
see fire

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light a fire under (someone)
US informal : to cause (someone) to move or work more quickly and effectively

I've never seen him work so hard. Someone must have lit a fire under him.

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Main Entry:light

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • light a fire under someone — light a fire under (someone) mainly American to make someone work better or harder. It s time you lit a fire under those guys or they ll never finish painting the house …   New idioms dictionary

  • light a fire under someone — mainly American informal to make someone work harder …   English dictionary

  • light a fire under — see ↑light, 3 • • • Main Entry: ↑fire light a fire under (someone) US informal : to cause (someone) to move or work more quickly and effectively I ve never seen him work so hard. Someone must have lit a fire under him. • • • …   Useful english dictionary

  • light a fire under — (someone) mainly American to make someone work better or harder. It s time you lit a fire under those guys or they ll never finish painting the house …   New idioms dictionary

  • light a fire under — verb 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 …   Wiktionary

  • light a fire under — v. urge someone to move faster, encourage a person to begin sooner …   English contemporary dictionary

  • light — light1 [ laıt ] noun *** 1. ) uncount brightness from the sun or from a light, which allows you to see things: The room gets a lot of light in the afternoons. light shines: Light from the street lamps was shining through a gap in the curtains. a… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • light — I UK [laɪt] / US noun Word forms light : singular light plural lights *** 1) [uncountable] brightness from the sun or from a light, which allows you to see things The room gets a lot of light in the afternoons. light shines: Light from the street …   English dictionary

  • fire — 1 noun 1 BURNING (U) the flames, light and heat produced when something burns: The warehouse was completely destroyed by fire. | be on fire (=be burning): The house is on fire! | catch fire/catch on fire (=start to burn): Mary knocked the candle… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • fire — fire1 W1S1 [faıə US faır] n ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(flames that destroy things)¦ 2¦(flames for heating/cooking etc)¦ 3¦(heating equipment)¦ 4¦(shooting)¦ 5¦(be attacked)¦ 6¦(emotion)¦ 7 fire in your belly 8¦(sick/injured)¦ 9 light a fire under somebody …   Dictionary of contemporary English

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