firebrand

Definitions

fire + brand, where brand is an old word for a piece of burning wood. So a firebrand is literally a flaming stick. The figurative sense came by metaphor: a person who 'sets things alight' — igniting passion, controversy, or unrest.

Why It Means This

The leap from 'burning stick' to 'troublemaker' is pure metaphor. A literal firebrand can spread flames wherever it's carried; a human firebrand spreads passion and unrest the same way. Today the literal wood sense is rare — call someone a firebrand and people picture a fiery activist or politician, not a log.

Common Collocations

• 1.firebrand activist激进活动人士
• 2.firebrand politician煽动型政客
• 3.young firebrand年轻的激进分子

Example Sentences

• 1.

  The young senator was a firebrand who electrified every rally.

• 2.

  Critics called her a firebrand for her radical speeches.

• 3.

  He waved a firebrand to drive the wolves away from the camp.