WordValeout of the frying pan into the fire
from a bad situation to a worse one
In more detail
(idiom) to escape from one bad or dangerous situation only to find yourself in an even worse one
Examples
- When he quit his stressful job, he thought his problems would end, but he went out of the frying pan into the fire when his new job turned out to be even worse.
How to use out of the frying pan into the fire
This idiom describes moving from one undesirable circumstance directly into a worse one, often through an attempt to improve the situation. It is widely used in neutral and informal contexts to express ironic frustration or to warn someone of potential consequences. The phrase is established and recognizable across English-speaking cultures.
Common phrases
- jump out of the frying pan into the fire
- leap out of the frying pan into the fire
- escape from the frying pan into the fire
- go from the frying pan into the fire
Synonyms
from bad to worse · out of the frying pan into the fire · jump from the frying pan into the fire · fall from the frying pan into the fire
A common mistake
Learners sometimes reverse the two elements or misremember which situation is worse, occasionally saying 'into the frying pan out of the fire' which changes the intended meaning.
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