ENGLISH
REFERENCE

fire sale

idiom
Meaning

A clearance sale at greatly reduced prices, often at losses.


Origin

disputed origin

By metonymy, from 19th century discount sales of products that had been damaged by fire or that could no longer be stored because the storage facility had been destroyed by fire necessitating immediate sale or loss of value.

Examples
SIMPLE

The store is having a fire sale on all winter clothes.

CONTEXTUAL

Because the business is closing next week, they are holding a fire sale to clear out their remaining inventory.

COMPLEX

Facing imminent bankruptcy, the company initiated a desperate fire sale of its assets to satisfy the demands of its primary creditors.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    add fuel to the fire

    To worsen a conflict between people; to inflame an already tense situation.

  2. 02

    ball of fire

    A person who is especially active, ambitious, hard-working, or high-achieving.

  3. 03

    catch fire

    To become engulfed in flames, to combust.

  4. 04

    draw fire

    To create a distraction that allows one's friends, co-workers, or other associates to gain an advantage over the distracted party.

  5. 05

    escape fire

    An unconventional or counterintuitive solution to a difficult problem.

  6. 06

    feed the fire

    Synonym of add fuel to the fire.

  7. 07

    fight fire with fire

    To respond to an attack with a similar or identical counter-attack (e.g. to respond to gunfire with reciprocal gunfire).

  8. 08

    fire drill

    Any pointless, unproductive, useless, or chaotic activity.

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