fight fire with fire
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Combat an evil or negative circumstances by reacting in kind. For example, When the opposition began a smear campaign, we decided to fight fire with fire. Although ancient writers from Plato to Erasmus cautioned that one should not add fire to fire, this warning is not incorporated in the idiom, which was first recorded in Shakespeare's Coriolanus.
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Words nearby fight fire with fire
fight back, fighter, fighter-bomber, fighter-interceptor, fighter pilot, fight fire with fire, fighting, fighting chair, fighting chance, fighting cock, fighting fish
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
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