fat is in the fire

the fat is in the fire

Problems are about to begin. Just so you know, Mom found out you lied to her. The fat is in the fire now, huh?
See also: fat, fire
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

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.
See also: fat, fire
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

fat is in the fire, the

It’s too late for a rescue; a crisis is imminent. This expression already appeared in John Heywood’s proverb collection of 1546 in its present form and has continued to be used with great regularity to the present day. A long-lived cliché that is by no means obsolete, it refers, of course, to the way a fire flares up when grease is spilled into it, an idea soon transferred to the more general sense that damage has been done.
See also: fat
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • fat is in the fire, the
  • the fat is in the fire
  • fat and sassy
  • fat skrill
  • baby fat
  • puppy fat
  • fat hit the fire
  • lard
  • lard (something) with (something)
  • lard with
References in periodicals archive
(One chapter is even entitled "The Fat Is In the Fire.") However, that would inhibit me from saying that there is indeed plenty of food for thought, and a lot to chew on, in this very interesting book.
Fat History: Bodies and Beauty in the Modern West