![]() ![]() Stanford University is now looking into more comprehensive International Student Orientation for next year to prevent such misunderstandings in the future. “I wish I had known what a Chinese Fire Drill was before this incident.” Unfortunately those who left beforehand missed out on a great show. Example Sentence: The play didn’t catch fire until after the intermission. Lee, who is currently being held in San Jose County Jail. Meaning: To be enjoyable, exciting or interesting. “I’m very sorry for this misunderstanding,” said Mr. ![]() “In addition to Chinese food being very different in China from what the way it is here in the U.S., their concept of Chinese Fire Drills is very different.” Professor Bob Sorrows, an expert on Chinese culture here at Stanford University, offers an explanation. While typically a Chinese Fire Drill involves running around the car and ending up in different seats, Lee instead doused the car in gasoline and lit it on fire, as his friends watched in confusion. One student yelled, ‘Chinese Fire Drill!’ and everyone immediately jumped out of the car. Lee was riding shotgun in a car with acquaintances when they approached a stop sign. The police investigation has concluded that Mr. Huan Lee, an international student from Beijing and a sophomore here at Stanford, is now being charged with arson. “One student had a different definition of what a ‘Chinese Fire Drill’ actually is.” “What we have here is a basic miscommunication,” commented Mr. mong other fanciful modes of demonstrating the practicability of conducting the gas wherever it might be required, he anchored a small boat in the stream about 50 yards from the shore, to which he conveyed a pipe, having the end turned up so as to rise above the water, and forcing the gas through the pipe, lighted it just above the surface, observing to his friends "that he had now set the river on fire.Investigators have concluded that the car outside of Bob recently caught fire due to a misunderstanding about Chinese Fire Drills, according to Don Gifford, captain of the San Jose Arson Squad. 1792-95, which may have contributed to the rise of the expression. The hypothetical feat was mentioned as the type of something impossibly difficult by 1720 it circulated as a theoretical possibility under some current models of chemistry c. ![]() To set the river on fire, "accomplish something surprising or remarkable" (usually with a negative and said of one considered foolish or incompetent) is by 1830, often with the name of a river, varying according to locality, but the original is set the Thames on fire (1796). 1600 (translating Latin flamma ferroque absumi) earlier yron and fyre (1560s), with suerd & flawme (mid-15c.), mid fure & mid here ("with fire and armed force"), c. Fire-chief is from 1877 fire-ranger from 1887. Fire department, usually a branch of local government, is from 1805. Fire brigade "firefighters organized in a body in a particular place" is from 1838. Fire company "men for managing a fire-engine" is from 1744, American English. Fire-house is from 1899 fire-hall from 1867, fire-station from 1828. A fire-bucket (1580s) carries water to a fire. Fire-escape (n.) is from 1788 (the original so-called was a sort of rope-ladder disguised as a small settee) fire-extinguisher is from 1826. Phrase where's the fire?, said to one in an obvious hurry, is by 1917, American English.įire-bell is from 1620s fire-alarm as a self-acting, mechanical device is from 1808 as a theoretical creation practical versions began to appear in the early 1830s. To play with fire in the figurative sense "risk disaster, meddle carelessly or ignorantly with a dangerous matter" is by 1861, from the common warning to children. Meaning "discharge of firearms, action of guns, etc." is from 1580s. Brend child fuir fordredeþ Įnglish fire was applied to "ardent, burning" passions or feelings from mid-14c. The former was "inanimate," referring to fire as a substance, and the latter was "animate," referring to it as a living force (compare water (n.1)). PIE apparently had two roots for fire: *paewr- and *egni- (source of Latin ignis). Old English fyr "fire, a fire," from Proto-Germanic *fūr- (source also of Old Saxon fiur, Old Frisian fiur, Old Norse fürr, Middle Dutch and Dutch vuur, Old High German fiur, German Feuer "fire"), from PIE *perjos, from root *paewr- "fire." Current spelling is attested as early as 1200, but did not fully displace Middle English fier (preserved in fiery) until c. ![]()
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