English Explanatory Dictionary

pull someone's chestnuts out of the fire

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. Synonym of pull someone's bacon out of the fire (“rescue someone, especially at the last moment”).
  2. To do another person's difficult work.

Word forms

pull someone's chestnuts out of the fire pulls someone's chestnuts out of the fire pulling someone's chestnuts out of the fire pulled someone's chestnuts out of the fire

Etymology

Calque of French tirer les marrons du feu, which comes from the fable The Monkey and the Cat by Jean de la Fontaine.

Synonyms

pull someone's bacon out of the fire

Related words

cat's-paw
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