between two fires
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Between two dangers. Troops caught between fire from opposite sides.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “between two fires” mean?
Between two dangers. Troops caught between fire from opposite sides.
Is “between two fires” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.