9. The discharge of firearms; firing; as, the troops were exposed to a
heavy fire.
Blue fire, Red fire, Green fire (Pyrotech.), compositions of various
combustible substances, as sulphur, niter, lampblack, etc., the flames
of which are colored by various metallic salts, as those of antimony,
strontium, barium, etc. -- Fire alarm (a) A signal given on the
breaking out of a fire. (b) An apparatus for giving such an alarm. --
Fire annihilator, a machine, device, or preparation to be kept at hand
for extinguishing fire by smothering it with some incombustible vapor
or gas, as carbonic acid. -- Fire balloon. (a) A balloon raised in the
air by the buoyancy of air heated by a fire placed in the lower part.
(b) A balloon sent up at night with fireworks which ignite at a
regulated height. Simmonds. -- Fire bar, a grate bar. -- Fire basket, a
portable grate; a cresset. Knight. -- Fire beetle. (Zoˆl.) See in the
Vocabulary. -- Fire blast, a disease of plants which causes them to
appear as if burnt by fire. -- Fire box, the chamber of a furnace,
steam boiler, etc., for the fire. -- Fire brick, a refractory brick,
capable of sustaining intense heat without fusion, usually made of fire
clay or of siliceous material, with some cementing substance, and used
for lining fire boxes, etc. -- Fire brigade, an organized body of men
for extinguished fires. -- Fire bucket. See under Bucket. -- Fire bug,
an incendiary; one who, from malice or through mania, persistently sets
fire to property; a pyromaniac. [U.S.] -- Fire clay. See under Clay. --
Fire company, a company of men managing an engine in extinguishing
fires. -- Fire cross. See Fiery cross. [Obs.] Milton. -- Fire damp. See
under Damp. -- Fire dog. See Firedog, in the Vocabulary. -- Fire drill.
(a) A series of evolutions performed by fireman for practice. (b) An
apparatus for producing fire by friction, by rapidly twirling a wooden
pin in a wooden socket; -- used by the Hindoos during all historic
time, and by many savage peoples. -- Fire eater. (a) A juggler who
pretends to eat fire. (b) A quarrelsome person who seeks affrays; a
hotspur. [Colloq.] -- Fire engine, a portable forcing pump, usually on
wheels, for throwing water to extinguish fire. -- Fire escape, a
contrivance for facilitating escape from burning buildings. -- Fire
gilding (Fine Arts), a mode of gilding with an amalgam of gold and
quicksilver, the latter metal being driven off afterward by heat. --
Fire gilt (Fine Arts), gold laid on by the process of fire gilding. --
Fire insurance, the act or system of insuring against fire; also, a
contract by which an insurance company undertakes, in consideration of
the payment of a premium or small percentage -- usually made
periodically -- to indemnify an owner of property from loss by fire
during a specified period. -- Fire irons, utensils for a fireplace or
grate, as tongs, poker, and shovel. -- Fire main, a pipe for water, to
be used in putting out fire. -- Fire master (Mil), an artillery officer
who formerly supervised the composition of fireworks. -- Fire office,
an office at which to effect insurance against fire. -- Fire opal, a
variety of opal giving firelike reflections. -- Fire ordeal, an ancient
mode of trial, in which the test was the ability of the accused to
handle or tread upon red-hot irons. Abbot. -- Fire pan, a pan for
holding or conveying fire, especially the receptacle for the priming of
a gun. -- Fire plug, a plug or hydrant for drawing water from the main
pipes in a street, building, etc., for extinguishing fires. -- Fire
policy, the writing or instrument expressing the contract of insurance
against loss by fire. -- Fire pot. (a) (Mil.) A small earthen pot
filled with combustibles, formerly used as a missile in war. (b) The
cast iron vessel which holds the fuel or fire in a furnace. (c) A
crucible. (d) A solderer's furnace. -- Fire raft, a raft laden with
combustibles, used for setting fire to an enemy's ships. -- Fire roll,
a peculiar beat of the drum to summon men to their quarters in case of
fire. -- Fire setting (Mining), the process of softening or cracking
the working face of a lode, to facilitate excavation, by exposing it to
the action of fire; -- now generally superseded by the use of
explosives. Raymond. -- Fire ship, a vessel filled with combustibles,
for setting fire to an enemy's ships. -- Fire shovel, a shovel for
taking up coals of fire. -- Fire stink, the stench from decomposing
iron pyrites, caused by the formation of sulphureted hydrogen. Raymond.
-- Fire surface, the surfaces of a steam boiler which are exposed to
the direct heat of the fuel and the products of combustion; heating
surface. -- Fire swab, a swab saturated with water, for cooling a gun
in action and clearing away particles of powder, etc. Farrow. -- Fire
teaser, in England, the fireman of a steam emgine. -- Fire water,
ardent spirits; -- so called by the American Indians. -- Fire worship,
the worship of fire, which prevails chiefly in Persia, among the
followers of Zoroaster, called Chebers, or Guebers, and among the
Parsees of India. -- Greek fire. See under Greek. -- On fire, burning;
hence, ardent; passionate; eager; zealous. -- Running fire, the rapid
discharge of firearms in succession by a line of troops. -- St.
Anthony's fire, erysipelas; -- an eruptive fever which St. Anthony was
supposed to cure miraculously. Hoblyn. -- St. Elmo's fire. See under
Saint Elmo. -- To set on fire, to inflame; to kindle. -- To take fire,
to begin to burn; to fly into a passion.
Fire (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fired (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Fring.] 1. To
set on fire; to kindle; as, to fire a house or chimney; to fire a pile.
2. To subject to intense heat; to bake; to burn in a kiln; as, to fire
pottery.
3. To inflame; to irritate, as the passions; as, to fire the soul with
anger, pride, or revenge.
Love had fired my mind.
Dryden.
4. To animate; to give life or spirit to; as, to fire the genius of a
young man.