fan the flames
Definition
› to make a dangerous or unpleasant mood or situation worse: His speeches fanned the flames of racial tension.Deteriorating and making worse
(Definition of fan the flames from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus
© Cambridge University Press)
Browse related topics
You are looking at an entry to do with Deteriorating and making worse, but you might be interested in these topics from the Breaking and damaging topic area:
- Damaging and spoiling
- Destroying and demolishing
- Exploding and erupting
- Fragile and breakable
- Hitting against objects accidentally and colliding
- Hitting and beating
- In bad condition
- Injuring and injuries
- Scratching and rubbing
- Squeezing and grinding
- Tearing and breaking into pieces
- Undamaged, unbroken or in good condition
- Upsetting and destabilizing
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Synonyms and related words:
- a step backwards idiom
- a turn of the screw idiom
- aggravate verb (MAKE WORSE)
- backslide verb
- be half the dancer, writer, etc. you used to be idiom
- compound verb (WORSEN)
- decline verb (GO DOWN)
- degrade verb (SPOIL)
- downgrade noun
- downgrade verb
- exacerbate verb
- for the worse idiom
- from the sublime to the ridiculous idiom
- go off phrasal verb (BECOME WORSE)
- retrograde adjective
- retrogress verb
- run (sth) down phrasal verb (LOSE POWER)
- run yourself down phrasal verb
- seed noun (PLANT)
- slip verb (GET WORSE)
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