red-hot poker

American  

noun

1. tritoma.

---

red-hot poker British  

noun

1. See kniphofia

---

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

“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

The image on one side is a skewed view of nature — a field or garden full of red-hot poker plants, their spiky crimson and yellow flowers shown in human-size close-up, pressed against the picture plane.

From Los Angeles Times

One screen takes us through a field of red-hot poker flowers.

From The Guardian

The pain is often described as a red-hot poker or ice pick stabbing behind the eye and on the temple.

From Nature

"It was like having a red-hot poker, put between your vertebrae," she says.

From BBC