Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

pull someone's chestnuts out of the fire

idiom

pʊl ˈsʌmwʌnz ˈʧɛstnʌts aʊt əv ðə faɪər

Definition

To save someone from a difficult situation, especially one they have gotten into themselves.

Examples

When his project started to fail, his colleague had to pull his chestnuts out of the fire to save him.
She always pulls her friends’ chestnuts out of the fire when they find themselves in a tight spot.
If it weren’t for Tom pulling me out of the fire, I would have lost my job.

Meaning

This idiom describes the act of helping someone out of a predicament, typically when they are unable to do so by themselves due to their own involvement in creating the problem.