Throw gasoline on the fire
Meaning
To make a bad or already tense situation significantly worse.
Origin
Before "gasoline" became a household word, people already knew the peril of "adding fuel to the fire"—a phrase dating back centuries, recognizing that any combustible material would only make a small blaze rage. But the 20th century brought a new level of explosive imagery. With the advent of internal combustion engines, gasoline transformed from a curious distillate into a common, highly volatile accelerant. It wasn't just any fuel; it was the ultimate, immediate intensifier. So, the old idiom got a powerful upgrade. "Throwing gasoline on the fire" captured that exact, visceral moment when a bad situation isn't just made worse, but is detonated into an uncontrollable inferno, a stark reminder of how quickly words or actions can escalate a conflict to ruin.
Examples
- When he started criticizing her in front of everyone, it was like throwing gasoline on the fire, only intensifying her anger.
- The manager's harsh email to the already demoralized team was just throwing gasoline on the fire, not helping morale at all.