red-hot poker
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of red-hot poker
First recorded in 1885–90; so called from the fiery red blossoms at the end of the flower spike
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“It felt like someone had taken a red-hot poker out of the fire and stuck it through my chest,” Grantham recalled.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 1, 2023
One screen takes us through a field of red-hot poker flowers.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 17, 2020
The film shows the red-hot poker incident as a premonition experienced by the former king, but doesn't state it as fact.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 16, 2012
"He acted like a red-hot poker," says one of his officers.
From Time Magazine Archive
Bob, in delight, dragged Winkle into the back room where sat Ben Allen, amusing himself by boring holes in the chimney piece with a red-hot poker.
From Tales from Dickens by Hallie Erminie Rives
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
