to play with fire
22
5.8
- idiom
- Informal
:
jugar con fuego
- You're playing with fire, kid.
Have it your way, play with fire, see what happens.
- Have it your way, play with fire, see what happens.
- Today's proverb is if you play with fire, you will get burned.
- You are playing with fire here, you guys, you're playing with fire.
- So he's taking a, he's really playing with fire when he proposes that.
- You introduce that into your room, you're playing with fire and people will resist it.
- But for now, we will leave the scientists behind to play with fire.
- I do think that in many cases that's playing with fire.
- I mean, shit, dude, I, I you're playing with fire.
- And that just reminded me, like, no matter what you fucking do, when you play with fire, someone is going to get burned.
Examples
-
A little flirtation is harmless, but you're playing with fire here.
Fiction book (2000) -
Last week, the Chinese warned that those who play with fire will perish by it.
-
Never, never play with fire.
-
We must play with fire.
-
Sooner or later, if he kept playing with fire, he was going to get burned.
Fiction book (1995) -
Today's proverb is if you play with fire, you will get burned.
-
If you continue to play with fire by skipping school, you might face serious consequences.
-
She warned him that playing with fire could lead to dangerous situations.
-
Ignoring the rules at work is like playing with fire; eventually, you will get in trouble.
Synonyms
9
7.3
Take an unnecessary risk that might cause bad luck
6
8.0
Act in a careless way by ignoring rules and other people's feelings
3
7.0
Show too much confidence and take risks that make you lose your advantage
2
3.0
To do something that might lead to harm or loss
1
6.8
To take a risk that can get you in trouble
Doing something risky and foolish that will likely make you lose money or get into trouble
To act in a risky way without thinking about the bad results
Antonyms
How Risky
- Informal
12
4.8
- Informal
22
5.8
56
3.2
91
3.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
The image is directly built from the constituents: 'play' (engage with), 'with' (accompaniment), and 'fire' (a dangerous burning element), so a learner who knows those words can infer engaging in something dangerous or risky. This metaphor is common cross-linguistically (e.g., Spanish 'jugar con fuego'), making the meaning readily accessible to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Play with fire comes from the image of someone literally playing with a small fire or a match for fun, which can quickly get out of control and cause burns or damage. So, it means 'to take foolish risks' that can cause trouble.