a coined
phrase meaning to save someone or something from
failure or
ruin before any damage is done. This is possibly a combination of the phrases the fat's in the
fire and
pull something out of the
fire. The first
phrase means that the damage has already been done, things have been made worse and
confusion has resulted. If fat is spilled on a flame a sudden blaze arises,
smoke is created, and the fat and food are spoiled. Thus, if the fat is kept out of the
fire it is out of harm's way and neither fat nor food are ruined. The
second phrase means to save from
disaster or to
turn a precarious
situation into an advantageous or
successful one. It alludes to the
action of hauling or yanking something out of a
fire before it is
burned.