alight

alight (up)on

1. To land or rest upon something. The large black crow alighted on the telephone wire high above the street. As he walked into the room, his eyes alighted upon a gorgeous woman wearing a red dress.
2. To arrive at a thought or idea. The engineer alighted on a mathematical solution to the problem he'd been trying to solve all week.
See also: alight

alight from

To get down from, or off of, something (usually a vehicle). The children alighted from the school bus on the first day of school. We've landed, but we still need to alight from the plane.
See also: alight

set the heather alight

To do wonderful or exciting things; to cause a great or remarkable sensation in the world; to be extremely exciting, popular, famous, renowned, etc. (Often used in the negative to indicate the opposite.) Primarily heard in Scotland. I wouldn't be too concerned with what he thinks of you. For all his money and education, he's hardly setting the heather alight, is he? When she was a child, Janet dreamed of setting the heather alight as a famous actress.
See also: alight, heather, set

set the Thames alight

To do wonderful or exciting things; to cause a great or remarkable sensation in the world; to be extremely exciting, popular, famous, renowned, etc. (Refers to the Thames river in London. Often used in the negative to indicate the opposite.) Primarily heard in UK. I wouldn't be too concerned with what he thinks of you. For all his money and education, he's hardly setting the Thames alight, is he? When she was a child, Janet dreamed of setting the Thames alight as a famous actress.
See also: alight, set, Thames

set the world alight

To do wonderful or exciting things; to cause a great or remarkable sensation in the world; to be extremely exciting, popular, famous, renowned, etc. (Often used in the negative to indicate the opposite.) I wouldn't be too concerned with what he thinks of you. For all his money and education, he's hardly setting the world alight, is he? As a girl, Janet dreamed of setting the world alight as a famous actress.
See also: alight, set, world
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

alight from something

to get off something; to get down off something. Almost three hundred people alighted from the plane.
See also: alight

alight (up)on someone or something

to land on something; [for a bird or other flying animal] to come to rest on something. (Upon is more formal than on.) A small bird alighted on the branch directly over my head. It alighted upon the branch and began to sing.
See also: alight, on
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

not set the world on fire

or

not set the world alight

If someone or something does not set the world on fire or does not set the world alight, they do not cause great excitement or interest. The 29-year-old Frenchman hasn't exactly set the tennis world on fire. The series isn't setting the world alight, despite some good writing and solid performances.
See also: fire, not, on, set, world
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

set the world alight (or on fire)

achieve something sensational. informal
A British variant of this expression is set the Thames on fire .
1976 Dick Francis In the Frame He was the same sort of man my father had been, middle-aged, middle-of-the-road, expert at his chosen job but unlikely to set the world on fire.
See also: alight, set, world
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

alight on

v.
1. To come down and settle on something; land on something: I watch the birds alight on the branches outside my window.
2. To discover or arrive at something by chance: The workers alighted on a simple solution to the problem.
See also: alight, on
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • alight on
  • alight (up)on
  • light (up)on
  • light on
  • alight from
  • walk all over someone, to
  • under the wire
  • splice (something) to (something else)
  • splice to
  • a live wire
References in periodicals archive
At Alight, we are reimagining how people and organizations thrive.
Alight to acquire NGA Human Resources, one of the largest multi-country payroll and HR solutions providers in the world
790 bound for Jinshan) at Keelung station (near Keelung Railway Station); alight at Yehliu stop.
Yehliu Geopark hosts colorful night tours and concert in April
The Groves in Chester, where an arson attack saw a shed set deliberately alight
Arson attack at The Groves in Chester sees shed set alight; Two fire engines attended the incident just after 1pm today (Friday, December 28)
For employers who enroll in First Stop Health and Alight's combined virtual care offering in 2018 and 2019, the company is offering a guaranteed ROI of 50% on their investment.
First Stop Health, Alight Solutions to transform the healthcare experience
Horrifying CCTV video footage shows someone walking up to the caravan before setting it alight and fleeing the scene in Jaywick, Essex.
Girl, 14, seriously burnt after arsonist set fire to caravan as she slept inside; The 14-year-old has suffered serious burns in the "awful incident" in Jaywick and Essex Police are hunting for whoever was responsible
SAN FRANCISCO: Alight Mortgage Solutions announced that mortgage industry veteran, Katrina Marshall, has joined the team as Sales Director, Western Region and Strategic Accounts.
Katrina Marshall joins Alight Mortgage Solutions team
Ten tonnes of fly-tipped rubbish was set alight on the outskirts of Coventry last night.
Ten tonnes of fly-tipped rubbish set on fire; The incident was dealt with on Wednesday evening
A male doused in petrol who threatened to set himself alight during a mental health crisis inHillingdonon Friday (April 27) is now "getting the help he needs".
Man doused in petrol threatened to set himself alight during mental health crisis in Hillingdon; The male is now "getting the help he needs" after the incident in Long Lane on Friday (April 27)
The fleet of vehicles were "well alight" when firefighters got there.
Investigators suspect yard blaze was deliberate
According to a statement released by the ANF, 284 tonnes of various types of contraband was set alight by Commander Southern Command (CSC) Lieutenant General Asim Saleem Bajwa.
ANF destroys nearly 300 tonnes of contraband in Quetta
QUETTA: The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) organised an event to torch nearly 300 tonnes of contraband seized by the force over the course of one year.According to a statement released by the ANF, 284 tonnes of various types of contraband was set alight by Commander Southern Command (CSC) Lieutenant General Asim Saleem Bajwa.
ANF destroys nearly 300 tonnes of contraband in Quetta
When examining the past 20 years of the Alight Solutions 401(k) Index--formerly the Aon Hewitt 401(k) Index--two major trends emerge: 401(k) portfolio allocations have changed dramatically, and trading activity has steadily declined, except when market corrections occur, according to an analysis by Alight Solutions.
401(k) Allocations Have Changed
FIREFIGHTERS were called to a huge hay barn fire in County Durham The blaze, at Satley Farm, near Lanchester, at 8.30pm on Wednesday where 300 tonnes of hay were alight.
Crews battle hay barn blaze
Alight TV delivers entertaining and enriching VOD content to consumersincluding:movies.
Alight TV Returns to Comcast Big South Under simplyME Distribution