fume

Related to fume: flume, Fume Blanc

be running on fumes

To be continuing to operate with no or very little enthusiasm, energy, or resources left. I've been painting the house for four hours every night after work, and I am seriously running on fumes at this point. We were running on fumes by the time our team made it to the championship round.
See also: fume, on, running

fume about (someone or something)

To have prolonged anger toward someone or something. Uncle Al looks unhappy—what do you think he's fuming about now? Ever since those two became roommates, she's just constantly fuming about him.
See also: fume

fume at (someone)

To direct one's anger at someone. Don't fume at me because you overslept—it's not my fault you didn't hear your alarm. The boss is fuming at everyone who was involved in that project.
See also: fume

fume over (someone or something)

To have prolonged anger toward someone or something. Uncle Al looks unhappy—what do you think he's fuming over now? Ever since those two became roommates, she's just constantly fuming over him.
See also: fume, over

run on fumes

1. To be especially ineffectual, insubstantial, or unsuccessful. The high production value means that the film is visually stunning, but no amount of aesthetic beauty can save a film whose paper-thin plot runs on fumes from start to finish. The former president promised quite a lot in his campaign speeches, but his administration ran on fumes throughout his time in the White House.
2. To continue to operate with no or very little enthusiasm, energy, or resources left. (Usually used in the continuous tense.) I've been painting the house for four hours every night after work, and I am seriously running on fumes at this point. We were running on fumes by the time our team made it to the championship round.
See also: fume, on, run

running on fumes

Continuing to operate with no or very little enthusiasm, energy, or resources left. A reference to a car that has nearly run out of fuel. I've been painting the house for four hours every night after work, and I am seriously running on fumes at this point. We were running on fumes by the time our team made it to the championship round.
See also: fume, on, running
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

fume about someone or something

 and fume over someone or something
to be very angry about someone or something. She was just fuming over her broken vase. She was still fuming about Larry the next morning.
See also: fume

fume at someone

Fig. to rage at someone. She was really fuming at Sam, who had broken her table leg.
See also: fume
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • be running on fumes
  • be running on empty
  • sporting blood
  • come on like gangbusters
  • be the life and soul of the party
  • be going gangbusters
  • gangbuster
  • get stuck in
  • get stuck into (something)
  • burst with excitement
References in periodicals archive
Gulf Underwriters Insurance Company, a group of welders sued NEMA claiming that it issued standards permitting the use of manganese in welding rods, even though it knew about the dangers of manganese fumes. Gulf refused to defend NEMA, arguing that the welders' claims fell under the absolute pollution exclusion in the policy, even though their claims were brought as a negligence action.
Where there's smoke: commentators have suggested that similar to other mass torts, such as asbestos, welding rod litigation may mushroom
The weld fume comes during welding is to be extract and draws into the housing by the fan placed at the bottom face of the block.
Design and analysis of weld fume extraction and filter apparatus
Jas Hospitality's current brands include Qbara Restaurant Lounge & Bar and Fume, Pier 7 & Fume, Manzil Downtown Dubai.
Jas Hospitality opens second Fume Dubai spot
The company said Strobic Air's fume exhaust product will be used in end-markets including universities, government, public health, chemical, pharmaceutical and wastewater treatment facilities.
CECO Environmental reports addition of Strobic Air's fume exhaust to its product line
One more normal breath and the fumes started to burn the back of my throat.
Checklists and cornchips
Over the past few years, the insurance and welding industries have monitored closely the developments in welding fume litigation in light of the potential insurance coverage issues raised by this litigation.
Hot liability: recent pro-plaintiff developments in welding fume litigation have put welding companies and insurers on the alert
With filtration units, the fume-capturing nozzles are located close to the fume source, which reduces the total volume of captured air (Figure 1).
Airing it out: fumes from lead-free solders are more harmful than those of tin-lead. What precautions are you taking?
Choosing architects without this knowledge has resulted in expensive building mistakes that seem almost comical after the fact, like the builder who wanted to put a restaurant-style fume hood in a high school chemistry lab.
Atmosphere for inquiry: the new rules of science lab construction. (Special section: construction trends)
The asphalt fume generation and inhalation exposure systems have been described previously (Wang et al.
Inhalation exposure of rats to asphalt fumes generated at paving temperatures alters pulmonary xenobiotic metabolism pathways without lung injury
Between 6% and 9% of the input sodium was released in fume. Some 11%-15% of input potassium and 25%-35% of input chloride were found in fume.
Dust and flue gas chemistry during rapid changes in the operation of black liquor recovery boilers part II--dust composition
Don't be confused by the term Fume Blanc; wines made from Sauvignon Blanc grapes can, by law, be called either Sauvignon Blanc or Fume Blanc.
Discover Sauvignon Blanc. (The Wine Guide)
When the cyanoacrylate begins to fume at a steady pace, place the specimen(s) in the chamber and secure the chamber door.
Cyanoacrylate fuming (microburst method)
The committee has determined that further investigation is needed to pinpoint the exact cause of the oil fume leak, and criticised the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority and British Aerospace for attempting to play down the problem.
Australian report calls for grounding of BAe 146 aircraft
Industrial Technology uses the fume extraction system made by Pace Inc., of Laurel, Md., to provide its workers with a clean working environment.
HELPING SOLDER OPERATORS BREATHE EASY
For $3700, the EMS-250 includes the foregoing features as well as a programmable relay alarm that can warn of unacceptably high fume levels and could activate emergency ventilation.
Inexpensive Detectors Monitor Styrene Levels