THE IDIOM COLLECTION LEARN & PRACTISE
Out of the frying pan into the fire
Understand the meaning. See it in context. Make it yours.
01 / UNDERSTAND
Meaning in plain English
From a bad or difficult situation into an even worse one.
02 / SEE IT IN CONTEXT
The expression in a sentence
- I changed queues to avoid the delay, only to go out of the frying pan into the fire when the new counter closed.
03 / CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
Quick idiom quiz
Try the question without looking back, then write a sentence of your own. You can retry as often as you like.
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Can you recall the expression?
Complete the example using the expression from this lesson.
I changed queues to avoid the delay, only to go ________ when the new counter closed.
Show the answer
Out of the frying pan into the fire — From a bad or difficult situation into an even worse one.
Try your own sentence (optional)
Make it yours
Write one sentence using “Out of the frying pan into the fire” about your own life.
Check your sentence
Does your sentence match this meaning?
From a bad or difficult situation into an even worse one.
Compare: I changed queues to avoid the delay, only to go out of the frying pan into the fire when the new counter closed.
Check the spelling and how the expression fits the sentence. Your example can be different.
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More ways to understand and use it
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When to use it
Use this saying when an attempted escape or change makes a problem worse. It suits everyday conversation and general writing.
More examples in context
- Moving from a noisy flat to one with constant building work felt like going out of the frying pan into the fire.
- We should check the replacement carefully so we do not jump out of the frying pan into the fire.
Usage note
The new situation must be worse than the old one. It does not describe every change or every difficult decision, and no actual cooking is involved.
A short conversation
A: Was the alternative bus route quicker?
B: No. I went out of the frying pan into the fire: the road was closed and we waited even longer.
A: Next time we should check both routes first.
One more practice question
Which change is out of the frying pan into the fire?
A. Leaving a difficult arrangement for one with even greater problems.
B. Leaving a difficult arrangement for a clearly better one.
Check your answer
A. The attempted improvement leads to a worse situation.
Related lessons
Meaning and usage checked against Cambridge Dictionary. Explanations, examples and conversation are original.