What should be called the one who does not reassure, but, on the contrary, contributes to the flare-up of the conflict situation? Such a person can be called a provocateur. But it is too politically colored, so they usually say: "He likes to add oil to the fire." The meaning of phraseology, contained in the last three words, we will consider today.
What is meant?
“To add fuel to the fire” means to act as a factor in the growth of the conflict and its escalation. Simply put, tossing firewood into a bonfire of a dispute or quarrel between someone. Exacerbate (usually intentionally) an already complex relationship.
For example, a schoolboy is blamed for poor grades. He hung his head and was about to cry. And he has an older sister. She, driven either by false truthfulness, or by harmfulness, informs her parents: “And Vasya also got a deuce by his behavior!”
If the parents have a heart, they will turn to their daughter and ask: "And why add fuel to the fire?" The meaning of phraseology, its definition was given a little earlier.
In other words, the girl exacerbates the already mournful situation of her brother. In fairness, it must be said that it is rare that two conflicting parties turn their anger at an instigator without saying a word. It usually happens that someone who “pours water on the conflict mill” helps the parties to get into emotional rage, and the conflict situation cannot be stopped. She passed the point of no return. Disagreements between people, of course, are not always of a domestic nature, sometimes these are labor disputes. But here “fire and oil are in a hurry to help” in order to increase the atmosphere.
Edition of a book (non-domestic dispute) and phraseology
There are two: an editor and a writer. The editor informs the writer that his book is being published, but with some corrections. He asks to go to him, say, on Friday and take a look at the final version.
The writer comes and sees that it would be better if his book was thrown into the bin or burned, than corrected. Conflict erupts. The editor and writer speak quietly at first, then both gain momentum and start shouting at each other. An employee of the publishing house comes in and says that the manuscript of a certain Pupkov is ready for publication. A person who looked at the editor did not want to add fuel to the fire (the meaning of phraseology is already clear to us), but the writer was furious that Mr. Pupkov was generally published, and ran out of the editor.
Fire and oil: is it always bad?
If we are talking about real fire and oil, then, of course, this is good. More oil means more fire. When it comes to the language metaphor, then it’s worth considering. But, despite the previous, not too positive example, the expression "add fuel to the fire" (the meaning of phraseology is diverse, as we will see later) does not always carry a negative meaning. After all, the dispute between people can be not only personal, but also philosophical, political (loved by a large number of Russians) or cinematic. People can argue endlessly on these topics, but at the same time remain good friends.
Synonyms for phraseology
The phrase “add fuel to the fire” can have a synonym both among its brothers - stable expressions, and among ordinary words. For example, “add fuel to the fire” can be replaced by the phraseology “pour water into the mill”, “succumb to heat / steam”, “bring to pen / white heat” , etc. Among the words, it is easier to find a synonym, but most of the verbs in in this context, he will refer one way or another to the fiery theme: to inflate the conflict, to inflame the interlocutors. Turning to a science-like language, we can say "exacerbate the situation" (already used in the text). Here everything is limited to the knowledge and training of the speaker.