fan the flames

fan the flames (of something)

Fig. to make something more intense; to make a situation worse. The riot fanned the flames of racial hatred even more. The hostility in the school is bad enough without anyone fanning the flames.

See also: fan, flame

fan the flames (of something)

to cause an increase in negative feelings These images of war could be used to fan the flames of hatred against our country.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of fan the flames (to cause air to flow toward a fire)

See also: fan, flame

fan the flames

to cause anger or other bad feelings to increase (usually + of ) His speeches fanned the flames of racial tension.

See also: fan, flame

fan the flames

Intensify or stir up feelings; exacerbate an explosive situation. For example, She already found him attractive, but his letters really fanned the flames, or His speech fanned the flames of racial dissension.

See also: fan, flame

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Idan	-	Hebrew
Feline	fe-LEE-nə	Dutch
Costantino	-	Italian
Terra	TER-ə	English
Zeynab	-	Azerbaijani, Persian
Fearchar	-	Irish, Scottish