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Phrase(s): The fat is in the fire.
Prov. Matters have come to a crisis; trouble is about to start. • Brother: Mom found out that we broke the clock. Sister: Uh-oh. The fat’s in the fire now. • The fat is in the fire at work; we’re nowhere near finishing the project, but the deadline is in two days.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs