hold someone's feet to the fire
To maintain personal, social, political, or legal pressure on someone in order to induce them to comply with one's desires; to hold someone accountable for their actions.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The boss holds our feet to the fire to meet every deadline.”
“You must hold your roommate's feet to the fire so he pays the rent.”
“Voters want to hold the politician's feet to the fire regarding his promises about lower taxes.”
“The community group plans to hold the developer's feet to the fire until they agree to build a new park as part of the housing project.”
“The board of directors decided to hold the chief executive's feet to the fire, demanding a full explanation for the company's recent financial losses.”
From the implied threat of physical harm by burning. The idiom preserves the memory of the ordeal by fire, a mediaeval judicial practice in which an accused party was subjected to the flame to determine their guilt or innocence. It suggests a situation in which the pressure of imminent physical injury is applied to ensure the desired testimony or confession is forthcoming.
- 01
add fuel to the fire
To worsen a conflict between people; to inflame an already tense situation.
- 02
another nail in someone's coffin
An event that increases the likelihood of or causes further failure.
- 03
answer someone's prayers
To be or do exactly what someone has been wishing or asking for.
- 04
answer to someone's prayers
Exactly what someone has been wishing or asking for.
- 05
apple of someone's eye
The object of somebody's affections; a person (or sometimes a thing) that someone strongly prefers; a favorite, a loved one.
- 06
apron-string hold
An estate held by a man during his wife's life.
- 07
ball of fire
A person who is especially active, ambitious, hard-working, or high-achieving.
- 08
bane of someone's existence
Someone or something that poses a significant problem to someone.
Last updated August 10, 2026