ENGLISH
REFERENCE

rediscover fire

idiom
Meaning

To relearn fundamental concepts, principles or practices that had been previously well known and widely practiced at a prior time in human society.


Examples
SIMPLE

They are trying to rediscover fire with these old farming methods.

CONTEXTUAL

The team ignored years of research and had to rediscover fire to solve the basic problem.

COMPLEX

By discarding the established safety protocols, the engineers were forced to rediscover fire, learning through painful trial and error what their predecessors had mastered decades ago.

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

    fight fires

    To deal with urgent matters and minor emergencies rather than longer-term work.

Last updated April 17, 2026