put a match to
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But the botched raid nonetheless put a match to the fuse of the Civil War.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2024
“You don’t put a big log on the fire and put a match to it and expect it to burn — it’s not going to happen. Fires are driven by kindle.”
From New York Times • Nov. 12, 2018
It was as if someone had put a match to a leaking gas pipe.
From Time Magazine Archive
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Where Lola was concerned, she very soon put a match to the inflammable, if arrogant, heart of Prince Henry, and, as a result, was "commanded" to accompany him to his miniature court at Ebersdorf.
From The Magnificent Montez From Courtesan to Convert by Wyndham, Horace
"And a plum pudding, too, with nice sauce that burns when you put a match to it, and shall I have two helpings?" he asked.
From Some Reminiscences of old Victoria by Fawcett, Edgar