“An old flame” is an English idiom meaning a former love interest. Idioms are challenging for non-native speakers as their meaning cannot be deduced from the literal meaning of the words. The term “old flame” likely emerged in the mid-19th century and refers to the warmth or passion of a former love interest.
To most English speakers, the term “an old flame” is so familiar that its meaning is rarely questioned. When examining the individual words that make up this term, however, it quickly becomes clear that it is an idiom, or an expression whose meaning cannot be deduced by studying its constituent parts. While it may not be obvious to non-native English speakers, an old flame is a former love interest. The origins of this expression are unclear.
“An old flame” is a figure of speech, or an expression that cannot be understood by studying the literal meaning of the words that compose it. Other examples of common idioms in the English language include “bent out of shape,” “under the weather,” and “kick the bucket.” Individuals learning a foreign language often find that interpreting idioms is a greater challenge than mastering the rules of grammar or learning verb conjugations. This is because the words that make up an idiom are not to be taken literally, and therefore even a perfect translation of individual words in an idiom sheds no light on their combined meaning. Sometimes, however, the meaning of an idiom can be inferred by considering the context in which it is used.
English speakers use the term “an old flame” to refer to a former love interest. The use of the word “flame” within the expression obviously does not refer to a literal flame, but rather to the “warmth” or figurative passion with which her former love interest once regarded herself. Similarly, “old”, within this idiom, does not refer to age, but rather to the fact that the relationship between the “flame” and the individual who once gazed upon it passionately has passed. Some might argue, however, that referring to someone as an old flame means that while the relationship with that person is no longer current, the feeling of passion towards them persists. In other words, while the “flame” may be “old”, it has not yet “extinguished”.
The exact origins of the expression “an old flame” are uncertain. Etymologists, or experts in the study of word origins, believe that the term has been in common use since the mid-19th century, and perhaps even earlier. It is likely that the expression emerged shortly after the word “flame” began to be commonly used to refer to a current love interest.
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