add fuel to the fire

English

Alternative forms

• add fuel to fire, add fuel to the flame

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

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Verb

add fuel to the fire (third-person singular simple present adds fuel to the fire, present participle adding fuel to the fire, simple past and past participle added fuel to the fire)

1. (idiomatic) To worsen a conflict between people; to inflame an already tense situation.

   Synonyms: add insult to injury, fan the flames; see also Thesaurus:make matters worse

   Antonyms: pour oil on troubled waters, clear the air

   Instead of apologizing to his girlfriend, he decided to add fuel to the fire.

   • 1839, Charles Dodd, edited by Mark Aloysius Tierney, Dodd's Church History of England, volume 2:

     But this had no effect, only to add fuel to the fire; so that, at last, both parties were so exasperated, that, had not the magistrates of Frankfort (who were now head of the English reformed church) interposed, they were on the point of coming to blows.

   • 1891, The Eclectic Magazine of Foreign Literature, Science, and Art, volume 54:

     […] and to admit women into active participation in politics will certainly be to increase disorder and add fuel to the fire of strife.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:add fuel to the fire.
2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see add,‎ fuel,‎ fire.

Synonyms

• pour gasoline on the fire
• throw gasoline on the fire
• throw gas on the fire

Translations

worsen a conflict

• Arabic: صَبَّ اَلزَّيْت عَلَى اَلنَّار (ṣabba z-zayt ʕalā n-nār), زَادَ اَلنَّار حَطَباً (zāda n-nār ḥaṭaban)
• Catalan: afegir llenya al foc
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 火上加油 (fo² soeng⁶ gaa¹ jau⁴)

  Mandarin: 火上澆油／火上浇油 (zh) (huǒshàngjiāoyóu), 火上加油 (zh) (huǒshàngjiāyóu)

• Czech: přilít olej do ohně
• Danish: puste til ilden, hælde benzin på bålet
• Dutch: olie op het vuur gooien, opstoken (nl)
• Estonian: õli tulle valama
• Finnish: kaataa bensaa liekkeihin, heittää löylyä kiukaalle (literally “to throw water on the sauna stove”)
• French: jeter de l’huile sur le feu (fr), mettre de l’huile sur le feu (fr)
• Georgian: ცეცხლზე ნავთის დასხმა (cecxlze navtis dasxma)
• German: Öl ins Feuer gießen (de)
• Greek: ρίχνω λάδι στη φωτιά (ríchno ládi sti fotiá), όλα του γάμου δύσκολα κι η νύφη γκαστρωμένη (óla tou gámou dýskola ki i nýfi gkastroméni)
• Hebrew: הוֹסִיף שֶׁמֶן לַמְּדוּרָה (he) (hosíf shémen lamm'durá)
• Hindi: जलती आग में घी डालना (jaltī āg mẽ ghī ḍālnā)
• Hungarian: olajat önt a tűzre
• Icelandic: (to pour oil unto the fire) hella olíu á eldinn
• Italian: aggiungere esca al fuoco, mettere benzina sul fuoco
• Japanese: 火に油を注ぐ (ja) (ひにあぶらをそそぐ, hi ni abura o sosogu)
• Norwegian: helle bensin på bålet, (to blow in the fire) puste til ilden
• Polish: dolewać oliwy do ognia (pl), dolać oliwy do ognia pf
• Portuguese: pôr lenha na fogueira (pt), colocar lenha na fogueira (pt)
• Romanian: pune paie pe foc, pune gaz pe foc, turna ulei pe foc
• Russian: подлива́ть ма́сло в ого́нь (podlivátʹ máslo v ogónʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian: доливати уље на ватру, dolivati ulje na vatru
• Spanish: echar leña al fuego, echar gasolina al fuego, ya escampa y llovían guijarros, dar pábulo (es)
• Swedish: hälla bensin på elden
• Telugu: అగ్గి మీద గుగ్గిలము (aggi mīda guggilamu)
• Turkish: ateşe körükle gitmek
• Vietnamese: đổ dầu vào lửa, đổ thêm dầu vào lửa, thêm dầu vào lửa