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
Job aimed with his usual care, but when at length he put a match to the powder, the shot flew harmlessly through the pirate's rigging, striking the sea beyond.
From The Black Buccaneer by Meader, Stephen W. (Stephen Warren)
It just happened there wasn't two drops of methylated spirits left in the house, and as there was a fire laid in your room, I put a match to it.
From The Price of Love by Bennett, Arnold
