Meaning of EMBERS
Ember is the name given to a piece of a solid material that, when it comes into contact with fire, becomes incandescent, although without flame. That is why the remains of the coals are known as embers.
The etymology of this word ember does not seem to lead us down a well-defined path: while some scholars of the language point out that its origin is found in the voice disgusting, which in Gothic means ” ash “, and that it came to German as Asche, others affirm that arose in the Arabic language.
In prehistory, embers were used to light a fire. With the development of lighters, matches (matches), and lighters, the use of embers decreased markedly.
Beyond this literal meaning, the idea of ember or embers appears in various expressions of the colloquial language. In classical literature and in some dictionaries, the use of this term is shown as an exclamation to reflect a surprise or pain that arises suddenly. This meaning derives from how unfortunate it is to take a hot ember without knowing it.
While this use has already been forgotten, there are many other expressions that have taken its place, and that will also someday rest on the pages of current books. This phenomenon of language allows us to learn many things about different times, since they lead us to think about the characteristics of everyday life; for example, since heating and cooking are electric in most developed cities today, many people would not even know how to define the term ember.
The phrase being “on fire” or “on fire”, on the other hand, refers to remaining expectant, intrigued or uneasy about something: “Ramiro has not called me yet and I am on fire to find out how it went”, “This topic is he has my father on fire ”, “ Marta is on fire because of the restructuring of the company ”.
This phrase is used in the everyday speech of certain countries, and it is easy to understand its meaning if we focus on the literal definition of embers: if a person is standing on a large number of pieces of incandescent material, it is logical that they feel restless and unable to relax, since you will feel excessive heat and fear the appearance of serious burns if you can not get out of there in time.
When a person performs an action so prudent and unhurried, said “treading on eggshells”: “I suggest you step on hot coals before making a decision to respect”, “I’m going to tread on eggshells to avoid wrong: I can not fail ”.
With respect to the phrase trodden on embers, something similar happens to what was expressed above to explain being on or on embers. To advance on a floor that is too hot, full of incandescent material, one of the best options is to do it wisely and at every step trying the best way to minimize damage.
“Pull up ” or ” pull up is the ember to its sardine”, finally, is a phrase used symbolically when an individual intends to take advantage of another or of a position to obtain a benefit: “John pulled the ember to its sardine when Mercedes stated that they would take a license. ”
To understand the meaning of this phrase, we must imagine a group of people roasting sardines, and one of them bringing the coals closer to their portion so that it is cooked in an oversight of the other diners. It is an action that seeks to take advantage of an occasion in a selfish and inconsiderate way.
