pulling out of the fire

Verb

pull out of the fire (third-person singular simple present pulls out of the fire, present participle pulling out of the fire, simple past and past participle pulled out of the fire)

1. (idiomatic, transitive) To save from impending failure, destruction, or defeat.
   • But there was another, keener reason why Pitcher Alexander wanted to pull this game out of the fire, which he proceeded to do by holding Philadelphia scoreless for four innings while his St. Louis clubmates made three more runs.1929 August 19, “Sport: Alexander the Great”, in Time

   Synonyms:

   redeem, rescue, save