April 27, 2005, 12:37
anyconA House on Fire
'To get on like a house on fire.'
Does this have a traceable origin?
April 27, 2005, 13:21
DoadIt's like loads of things I see on this site, a phrase I use all the time without thinking about it but when it comes up in a thread I haven't a clue where it comes from or why I use it. I'd love to know too.
April 27, 2005, 15:16
Fluent in LiesAt a guess I would say it originated from a time when narrow streets and thatched roofs were prevelant, and the spread of fire from house to house would indeed be "very fast or vigorously".
April 27, 2005, 20:56
KallehHere's a discussion about it from the
Phrase Finder, though it isn't in my online OED.
April 28, 2005, 15:21
anyconWell fanx but that's a definition not an etymology. Probably easier to find in a book than the internet, and I'm sure you lot/guys/ppl have loads of dusty old tomes full of useful info. Where's jheem? He seems to know everything.
April 28, 2005, 16:02
Fluent in Liesusing google:
http://users.tinyonline.co.uk/gswithenbank/sayingsl.htm"Like a house on fire - very well
Originally, very quickly or vigorously; the simile made better sense in the old days when houses were of wooden construction and had thatched roofs, etc."
April 29, 2005, 02:16
anyconThe phrase means 'get on well', right? But the origin suggested there does not so much imply a friendly relationship as a kind of contagion. To 'spread like houses on fire' would be more appropriate.
I recognise, however, that word origins do not have to be logical.