add fuel to the fire

add fuel to the flames

If something that someone says or does adds fuel to the fire or adds fuel to the flames, it makes a bad situation worse. Fan the flames means the same.

You must not take the route of trying to borrow your way out of trouble when over-borrowing got you into this state in the first place. This really would be adding fuel to the fire.

The -- trying to maintain is warning that a return to the traditional system of wage indexation will only add fuel to the inflationary fires.

These expressions are very variable. For example, you can say that something fuels the fire or fuels the flames, or just that it adds fuel.

I'm not going to fuel the fire here: people are perfectly entitled to their own opinion. I would just hope that we might see a little more reason and a lot more understanding in the debate.

These are both recognised as factors which have fuelled the flames of conflict.

His comments are bound to add fuel to the debate already taking place within the party about the Greens' public image.