flaming
flaming — adjective
1. used immediately before a noun to strongly express annoyance or anger about some
used immediately before a noun to strongly express annoyance or anger about someone or something — for example, calling a person a flaming idiot for doing something stupid.
Zola called her brother a flaming idiot after he spilled paint over her new rug.
informal intensifier before an insulting noun
The taxi driver shouted 'you flaming fool!' at the cyclist who cut him off.
Min told her colleagues she was tired of their flaming nonsense during every meeting.
Eitan slammed the phone down and muttered something about flaming bureaucracy at the city council.
文法句型
flaming + [insulting noun]
用法筆記
Strongly informal and mostly found in British English. Do not use in formal writing or polite conversation. The noun that follows must refer to something the speaker is annoyed by — it cannot be neutral or positive.
常見錯誤
2. describes a quarrel or disagreement that is extremely heated, with both sides sh
describes a quarrel or disagreement that is extremely heated, with both sides shouting and raising their voices at one another.
The neighbours had a flaming row about the garden fence that woke the whole street.
collocation: flaming row
Christopher and Tanvi had a flaming argument over who should pay for dinner.
A flaming quarrel broke out between the players after the referee made a bad call.
The board meeting ended in a flaming dispute when the manager announced job cuts.
文法句型
flaming + [argument/dispute/row/quarrel]
用法筆記
Always followed by a noun that names a conflict (row, argument, quarrel, dispute). It cannot be used on its own — 'they had a flaming' is incomplete.
常見錯誤
3. actually burning with visible flames so that the object is partly or fully aligh
actually burning with visible flames so that the object is partly or fully alight; also describes something that strongly resembles a flame in its bright orange or red colour, or in its flickering shape.
Firefighters pulled the family out of the flaming building just before it fell down.
literal burning building
Dario watched the flaming logs in the fireplace as the snow fell outside.
The autumn leaves turned a deep flaming red that lit the whole valley.
A flaming sunset spread across the sky above the harbour where the boats were docked.
Nora dropped the flaming match onto dry grass and watched a fire start to spread.
- extinguished
describes a fire that has been put out
- dull
describes the opposite of bright colour
文法句型
flaming + [object that burns or looks flame-like]
用法筆記
When describing literal fire, 'flaming' implies active, visible flames — not just heat or smouldering. For colour uses, it combines most often with red, orange, and yellow.
常見錯誤
4. describes an emotion, desire, or inner drive that is extremely powerful, fierce,
describes an emotion, desire, or inner drive that is extremely powerful, fierce, and hard to contain — for instance, a flaming temper that flares up easily, or a flaming ambition that drives a person to work relentlessly.
As a child Isabela had a flaming temper, but she learned to control it.
collocation: flaming temper
The general gave a flaming speech that made the soldiers want to charge into battle.
Zayd felt a flaming desire to prove his critics wrong after they laughed at him.
Her flaming ambition drove her to work sixteen hours a day without ever complaining.
文法句型
flaming + [emotion noun]
用法筆記
Also found in the literary expression 'flaming passion'. Unlike sense 3 (literal fire), this sense is purely figurative and collocates with abstract nouns of emotion.
常見錯誤
flaming — noun
1. an angry or offensive message sent to someone online, typically through email or
an angry or offensive message sent to someone online, typically through email or in a discussion forum, usually in response to a post that the sender disagrees with.
The editor received a flaming from a reader who hated the newspaper's election opinion.
receive a flaming
Posting your views in that group chat is risky — someone might send you a flaming.
Astrid sent a flaming to the support team after they charged her twice by mistake.
The forum moderator warned users not to post flames when they disagree with an opinion.
文法句型
send/get/receive a flaming
用法筆記
Common in early internet culture (Usenet, forums). In modern contexts, younger speakers often use 'hate mail' or 'toxic DM' instead, but 'flaming' is still understood among experienced internet users.