# hold someone's feet to the fire

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/hold-someones-feet-to-the-fire
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

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.

## Examples

- 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.

## Origin

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.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.