fire new
Preserved but no longer current.
Shakespeare, in Love's Labour Lost, i, 1, says, "A man of fire-new words." And again in Twelfth Night, ni, 2, "Fire-new from the mint"; and again in King Lear, v, 3, "Fire-new fortune" ; and again m Richard ///, i, 3, "Your fire-new stamp of honour is scarce current." Originally applied to metals and things manufactured in metal which shine. Subsequently applied generally to things quite new.
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 new” mean?
Shakespeare, in Love's Labour Lost, i, 1, says, "A man of fire-new words." And again in Twelfth Night, ni, 2, "Fire-new from the mint"; and again in King Lear, v, 3, "Fire-new fortune" ; and again m Richard ///, i, 3, "Your fire-new stamp of honour is scarce current." Originally applied to metals and things manufactured in metal which shine. Subsequently applied generally to things quite new.
Is “fire new” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.