catch fire

Idioms & Phrases

catch fire

  1. Be ignited, as in This wood is dry enough to catch fire. [c. 1600] Also see set on fire.

  2. Become inflamed with enthusiasm or passion, as in His ideas caught fire all over the country. [Early 1700s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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