Fight Fire with Fire




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Fight Fire with Fire : Phrases



Meaning:

To respond in like manner; a desperate measure.


Example:







Origin:

In order to extinguish huge prairie and forest fires in the early West, desperate American settlers would sometimes set fire to a strip of land in the path of the advancing fire and then extinguish it, leaving a barren strip with nothing for the approaching fire to feed on. Although effective, this tactic was (and is) extremely dangerous, as the backfire itself can get out of control.















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