ENGLISH
REFERENCE

fire the starting gun

idiom
Meaning

To launch or trigger an event or situation.


Examples
SIMPLE

The mayor fired the starting gun for the new city project.

CONTEXTUAL

The official announcement fired the starting gun for the busy holiday shopping season in the city.

COMPLEX

The signing of the historic treaty fired the starting gun for a new era of cooperation between the two nations.

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

    big gun

    A person, group, thing, or course of action that is powerful, influential, or particularly effective.

  4. 04

    catch fire

    To become engulfed in flames, to combust.

  5. 05

    draw fire

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

  6. 06

    eat one's gun

    To commit suicide, especially by use of a firearm discharged into the victim's mouth.

  7. 07

    escape fire

    An unconventional or counterintuitive solution to a difficult problem.

  8. 08

    feed the fire

    Synonym of add fuel to the fire.

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