fan the flames

Idioms and Phrases

Intensify or stir up feelings; exacerbate an explosive situation. For example, She already found him attractive, but his letters really fanned the flames , or His speech fanned the flames of racial dissension .

Example Sentences

So if Ellen still cares what we think, her 70 minutes of standup might have been better spent by actually grappling with her peccadilloes, rather than using them to fan the flames of her own ego.

From Salon

“It’ll literally fan the flames,” said Philip Gonsalves, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Diego.

From Los Angeles Times

"Trump killed that bill because he knew if we fixed the border, he'd lose his ability to divide us, his ability to fan the flames of fear about people who come from different places," Mr Murphy said.

From BBC

So did these false and unfounded social media posts fan the flames of unrest in Southport?

From BBC

"We have never done anything to fan the flames. We stand firmly on the side of peace and dialogue," he said in his speech.

From BBC

Related Words

• aggravate
• annoy
• heighten
• inflame
• intensify
• irritate
• provoke
• worsen