Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

keep the home fires burning

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.99 in modern English

Syllables: keep- the home- -fires burn-ing
IPA

43

Scrabble Score

23

Letters

5

Syllables

15

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To maintain daily routine and provide the necessities of life in a home or community.

Colloquial

Example Sentences

"We got our water from a pump in the backyard and there is no domestic fatigue indoors or out-of-doors that I have not done continuously, not for fun but to keep the home fires burning."
"While the military has moved to gender-neutral language in all its official descriptions of the "spouses" who keep the home fires burning during deployments […]"

Etymology

A reference to keeping campfires, lights, etc. at one's home village burning, often while part of the population travels elsewhere to hunt, etc.

Usage

Colloquial

Inflected Forms

keeps the home fires burning (present, singular) keeping the home fires burning (participle, present) kept the home fires burning (participle, past) kept the home fires burning (past)

Phrases

keep the lights on keep the wolf from the door

Frequently Paired Words

keep the lights on keep the wolf from the door

Questions

What does keep the home fires burning mean?: To maintain daily routine and provide the necessities of life in a home or community.
Where does keep the home fires burning come from?: A reference to keeping campfires, lights, etc. at one's home village burning, often while part of the population travels elsewhere to hunt, etc.

How to pronounce keep the home fires burning

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