On Fire

When a person is doing something really well, they are "on fire." Most people use it in reference to athletes performing at a high level, but they may also use it in other contexts, like getting jobs done, dating attractive people, or cleverly roasting someone.

Where did "on fire" come from?

The phrase comes from the "hot hand" saying where everything a person does seems to succeed. For example, a businessman may have made several deals in a row that have all been financial successes or a Poker player has a run of high-value hands.

It became popular in the early-2000s and has remained in the mainstream lexicon for describing success, especially in sports. You will probably hear it in all sorts of competition when an individual or team is performing incredibly well.

When will you hear "on fire" used?

An example of when you might hear "on fire" is during a sports highlight when a basketball player makes four three-pointers in a row or when a baseball player gets a hit in 10 consecutive games. You might also hear it when gaming online when a player is on a kill streak.

Since the phrase has been used in other contexts outside of sports you might also see it online when messaging or on social media to describe a person who is doing something well. Examples of it in use include when a person is earning lots of money or looking amazing in a fit.

The phrase has led to the "fire" and "straight fire" terms and the fire emoji, which are used to describe awesome things or people. It is also related to the "torch" term, which refers to when someone badly beats a competitor.