trash fire
- noun
- /træʃ faɪər/
- US
:
fuego de basura
- The rural community often deals with the problem of trash fires that can spread quickly if not controlled.
Examples
-
I believe that it was also the garbage dump, where the trash fires burned day and night.
Blog text (18) -
Drew told him she had been burned by an ember that had popped out of a trash fire in the backyard.
Fiction book (1991) -
She noticed a trash fire smoldering in the empty lot, releasing smoke that filled the air with a foul odor.
-
Local authorities warned residents about the dangers of trash fires, especially during dry weather.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A burning flame that gives heat and light
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
The constituents 'trash' (worthless/rubbish) and 'fire' (destructive, out of control) together cue a negative, destructive image, so learners can partially infer that something bad or chaotic is meant. However, the specific slang sense 'a disastrously managed or complete failure' is a metaphorical, sociolectal extension and not fully predictable from the words alone, so prior exposure is typically needed.
Etymology
Trash fire comes from the literal image of a pile of trash set on fire, burning waste outdoors and giving off smoke and heat, so it means 'a fire made by burning waste materials'.