red fire
2
7.4
- noun
- Specialized
- The signal flares emitted a striking red fire that could be seen from miles away.
Examples
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A paramedic in dark blue circled with a small red fire extinguisher that looked like a toy.
Blog text (4) -
The fireworks lit up the night sky with a brilliant display of red fire as they burst overhead.
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Near the ground, they formed a visible wall of yellow air flecked with pink, brown, orange, and red fire.
Fiction book (1994) -
Her cheekbones projected like two ridges; her eyes flashed red fire from deep sockets.
Academic text (1999) -
About two weeks ago, there'd been a night of red fire that turned all the canned food within traveling distance into an inedible, foul-smelling black tar.
Fiction book (1996) -
In their turning, with the sun pinned to their silk capes, they ignited with a mute red fire the dim area of the yard: the back of the house.
Fiction book (1994) -
And I lit them and the log on fire with a second glowglobe, putting it on overload and stepping back, and the globe detonated with a wet sizzle, the dried leaves exploding into a smoky red fire.
Fiction book (1995) -
During the performance, the pyrotechnician ignited a red fire that illuminated the crowd with its vibrant glow.
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a straightforward adjective + noun composition: the meaning 'a fire that is red' or a material producing a red flame is directly derivable from 'red' (color) + 'fire' (burning). It is a literal descriptive phrase following normal English composition patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will understand it.
Etymology
Red fire comes from firework and flare makers who added chemicals so the fire burned bright red, making a clear red flame in the sky. So today red fire means a material made to burn with a 'bright red flame' for displays or 'signals'.