ENGLISH
REFERENCE

rain fire and brimstone

idiom
Meaning

To send horror or destruction.


Origin

first recorded 17th c.

A reference to the The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], 1611, →OCLC, Psalms 11:6: “Upon the wicked hee [God] shall raine snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.”

Examples
SIMPLE

The angry boss rained fire and brimstone on the lazy team.

CONTEXTUAL

When the scandal broke, the media rained fire and brimstone upon the politician for his dishonest behavior.

COMPLEX

The ancient prophecy warned that if the king ignored his duties, the heavens would rain fire and brimstone upon his kingdom.

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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