Jeter de l'huile sur le feu
Meaning: To make a bad situation worse.
Language: French
Literally: To throw oil on the fire
Category: Nature
Origin: Ancient metaphor, used in French since the 16th century.
Equivalents in other languages
- Spanish: Echar leña al fuego — literally: To throw wood on the fire
- Chinese: 雪上加霜 (Xuě shàng jiā shuāng) — literally: To add frost on top of snow
More idioms — Nature
- faire la pluie et le beau temps — Having complete control over a situation or someone's fate.
- être une girouette — Being inconsistent, constantly changing opinions or allegiances.
- estar más claro que el agua — Something is obvious, evident, and beyond any doubt or confusion.
- come hell or high water — no matter what obstacles arise; with absolute determination.
- up the creek without a paddle — in a difficult situation without means to escape.
- take the plunge — to commit to something risky; to make a decisive move.
More French idioms
- Faire d'une pierre deux coups — To kill two birds with one stone.
- Faire d'une mouche un éléphant — To make a mountain out of a molehill; to exaggerate wildly.
- avoir des fourmis — Experiencing a tingling or prickling sensation in a limb losing circulation.
- être sur des charbons ardents — Being extremely anxious or impatient about something.
- avoir un chat dans la gorge — Having difficulty speaking due to hoarseness or a sore throat.
- se battre contre les moulins à vent — Fighting a hopeless battle against something immovable or pointless.
From our untranslatable words
- Épanouissement — The full flourishing of a person — blooming into your most complete, radiant self. More t…
- Ressourcement — The act of returning to one's roots or origins to find renewal — going back to a place, t…
- Dépaysement — The disorienting yet often pleasant feeling of being far from home, immersed in the unfam…