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Welcome to English in a Minute!
A frying pan is used to cook food in very hot oil. But what does it mean to go from the frying pan and into the fire?
From the Frying Pan and Into the Fire
Speaker A: James is really not happy.
Speaker B: What is the problem this time?
Speaker A: He complained that his office was too noisy and too bright.
Speaker B: Where did they move him?
Speaker A: Downstairs in the basement with no windows, no people. He hates it.
Speaker B: Sounds like he went from the frying pan and into the fire.
To go “from the frying pan and into the fire” means you have left a bad situation only to find yourself in an even worse situation. You thought things were going to improve, but the opposite happened.
*This article has been edited and reprinted from VOA Learning English with permission from Voice of America (VOA) for use in English language materials.
English 
日本語