set the world alight
Make remarkable impact
To set the world alight is to achieve spectacular success or generate tremendous excitement.
The phrase suggests impact so dramatic it's like starting a fire that spreads everywhere: Her debut novel set the world alight.
Often used in the negative to describe disappointing results: The product launch didn't exactly set the world alight.
British English favors *alight*; American English often substitutes *on fire*.
- enthuseExpress eager excitement
- igniteStart burning something
- exciteStimulate strong emotion
- catch fireBegin combustion
- trailblazerFirst to forge ahead
inspire · kindle · brighten · triumph · epochal · make waves · impress · illuminate · pioneer · galvanize · transcendent · breakthrough · shake things up · conflagration · groundbreaking · revolutionize · energize · transform
set the world alightfail miserably
crash and burn · fall flat on one's face · come to nothing · fizzle out · bomb
set the world alightextinguish
End combustion forcibly
put out · pour cold water on · douse · smother · stifle
setting, setter, world, worlds, worldly, worldwide, otherworldly, alight, light