play with fire

Definition

To put oneself in a precarious situation with a high risk of getting harmed, particularly emotionally or financially.

Example Sentences

• "I'm telling you, if you sign that paper, you're playing with fire."
• "Play with fire and you get burned."
• "Long predicted by climate models, stratospheric cooling is a result of the Earth’s atmosphere attempting to maintain its energy "balance." Much more work will need to be performed before this troubling surprise is fully understood, but it already illustrates the recklessness of this "planetary experiment" that humanity has under way. We are not only playing with fire, but ice as well. As Robert Frost wrote, "Some say the world will end in fire; some say in ice." Either one, he added, "would suffice.""