fire and sword
Preserved but no longer current.
Rapine and destruction perpetrated by an invading army. Poke not fire with a sword. This was a precept of Pythagoras, meaning add not fuel to fire, or do not irritate an angry man by sharp words which will only increase his rage. (See lamblichus: Protreptics, symbol ix.
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 “fire and sword” mean?
Rapine and destruction perpetrated by an invading army. Poke not fire with a sword. This was a precept of Pythagoras, meaning add not fuel to fire, or do not irritate an angry man by sharp words which will only increase his rage. (See lamblichus: Protreptics, symbol ix.
Is “fire and sword” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.