Word.ws English Dictionary

setting the Thames on fire

setting the Thames on fire is the present participle and gerund of set the Thames on fire.

Meaning of set the Thames on fire

Verb

set the Thames on fire (third-person singular simple present sets the Thames on fire, present participle setting the Thames on fire, simple past and past participle set the Thames on fire)

  1. (idiomatic) To achieve something amazing but to a nearly-impossible degree; to do something which brings great public acclaim.
    • The baronet will never set the Thames on fire, but there seems no harm in him.1817 (date written), [Jane Austen], Persuasion; published in Northanger Abbey: And Persuasion. […], volume (please specify |volume=III or IV), London: John Murray, […], 20 December 1817 (indicated as...

Questions about setting the Thames on fire

What is setting the Thames on fire the present participle and gerund of?
Setting the Thames on fire is the present participle and gerund of set the Thames on fire.

Words near setting the Thames on fire in the dictionary

  1. setting the land
  2. setting the pace
  3. setting the record straight
  4. setting the stage
  5. setting the table
  6. setting the Thames on fire
  7. setting the tone
  8. setting the wheels in motion
  9. setting the world on fire
  10. setting the world to rights
  11. setting time

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: setting the Thames on fire (page history and authors); set the Thames on fire (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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