DEFINITIONS
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fan the flames

SEE SYNONYMS FOR fan the flames ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

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Baseball Slang True Fans Should KnowThe game dates back a long way (the first pro team started in 1869—the Cincinnati Reds) so there’s a long history here.
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Words related to fan the flames

annoy, aggravate, worsen, heighten, irritate, inflame, provoke, intensify, brew, incite, arouse, abet, increase, embitter, exasperate, envenom, excite, madden, vex, enrage

Words nearby fan the flames

fan letter, fan magazine, fan mail, fan palm, fan roof, fan the flames, fan tracery, fan vault, fan vaulting, fan window, fan worm
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.