watch fire

American  

noun

1. a fire maintained during the night as a signal and for providing light and warmth for guards.

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watch fire British  

noun

1. a fire kept burning at night as a signal or for warmth and light by a person keeping watch

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Etymology

Origin of watch fire

First recorded in 1795–1805

Example Sentences

Barton House was built in 1958 and has had "waking watch" fire marshals patrolling the building since May 2022.

From BBC • Dec. 2, 2023

Many leaseholders have also seen sharply increasing service charges, and some have had to pay for so-called "waking watch" fire wardens.

From BBC • Jan. 16, 2022

The stolid peasants who saw the Red Army drive bewildered Germans back are descendants of patient men who have straightened up to watch fire & sword swoop by for 30 generations.

From Time Magazine Archive

We had not time to cook, and the rain prevented the watch fire from burning; owing to which one of our asses was killed by the wolves.

From The Journal of a Mission to the Interior of Africa, in the Year 1805 by Whishaw, John

And to sit by a lonely watch fire in the woods in the dead of night is to unlock the doors of romance.

From The Campfire Girls on Ellen's Isle The Trail of the Seven Cedars by Frey, Hildegard G. (Hildegard Gertrude)