English in a Minute: Fan the Flames

EIM Fan the Flames Welcome to English in a Minute from home! If you fan (does some fanning) a fire, the flames get bigger. But what does this mean as an idiom? (Anna is looking out the window.) J: Anna, what are you looking at? A: Two cars just stopped on the road. The men are yelling at each other. Uh oh. Now the women are yelling at each other. J: Not good. That is going to totally fan the flames. A: It has fanned the flames! Now everyone is fighting! Fanning a fire makes it stronger. The same can be said about a situation. To “fan the flames” makes something a bigger deal. We often say this when talking about problems. But you can also say it about positive things – like a new romance! And that’s English in a Minute! Originally published at - https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a...