build a fire under
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One night when it was minus 18 degrees Celsius in eastern Turkey, “helpful locals tried to build a fire under the engine to warm it up,” he added.
From New York Times • Feb. 20, 2020
It's nice to see that something can build a fire under Europeans.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 10, 2010
More orders were issued to build a fire under the peasants who still largely declined to join the collective farms.
From Time Magazine Archive
The Post's latest crusade has been to build a fire under the clean elections bill now before the Senate with 85 Senators as its joint sponsors.
From Time Magazine Archive
We will now strike a match and you shall see whether or not we know how to build a fire under present conditions.
From Grace Harlowe's Overland Riders in the Great North Woods by Flower, Jessie Graham [pseud.]
