Dictionary

pull someone's chestnuts out of the fire en · VERB

Etymology

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

Meanings

1. Synonym of pull someone's bacon out of the fire (“rescue someone, especially at the last moment”).
   • By now, however, it's unlikely that even this faithful retainer can once more pull Bush's chestnuts out of the fire. 2006 Oct. 9, Jacob Heilbrunn, "‘Work Hard, Study ... and Keep Out of Politics!’" (book review), New York Times (retrieved 23 Oct 2011)
2. To do another person's difficult work.

Forms

Relateds

cat's-paw

Synonyms

pull someone's bacon out of the fire

Translations (15)

nl de kastanjes uit het vuur halen (do someone's difficult work) · sv kratsa kastanjerna ur elden (do someone's difficult work) · ca treure les castanyes del foc (do someone's difficult work) · de aus der Klemme helfen (do someone's difficult work) · es sacar las castañas del fuego (do someone's difficult work) · da rage kastanjerne ud af ilden (do someone's difficult work) · nn rake kastanjane ut av elden (do someone's difficult work) · de die Kastanien aus dem Feuer holen (do someone's difficult work) · fr tirer les marrons du feu (do someone's difficult work) · de aus der Patsche helfen (do someone's difficult work) · fi hoitaa jonkun homma (do someone's difficult work) · pl wyciągać kasztany z ognia (do someone's difficult work) · it cavar le castagne dal fuoco (do someone's difficult work) · el βγάζω τα κάστανα από τη φωτιά (do someone's difficult work) · nb rake kastanjene ut av ilden (do someone's difficult work)

wikipedia: The Monkey and the Cat · wikipedia: Jean de la Fontaine