Ignite (3,4,2) Crossword Clue
Answer: SET FIRE TO (9 letters)
The answer to the crossword clue "Ignite (3,4,2)" with 9 letters is "SET FIRE TO".Set fire to means to ignite something deliberately so that it begins to burn, starting a flame that causes the object to catch fire and be consumed by burning.
Why “Set Fire To” Fits
The clue asks for a phrase (3,4,2) meaning “ignite.” The answer, SET FIRE TO, fits exactly:
- Ignite: Set fire to is a standard English phrase meaning to cause something to start burning, whether accidentally or deliberately. It directly expresses the act of igniting an object or place.
- Direct match: The phrase breaks cleanly into the pattern (3,4,2): “set” (3), “fire” (4), “to” (2), matching the enumeration given in the clue.
- Precise meaning: It covers physical ignition (lighting a match to paper, setting fire to a building) and is used in both everyday language and formal or legal descriptions of arson or burning.
“Set fire to” is a common, vivid expression across spoken and written English:
Origin and usage:
- Built from the verb “set” (to cause something to be in a particular state) plus “fire” and the preposition “to,” literally meaning to place something into a burning state.
- Used in news reports (“rioters set fire to cars”), literature, and conversation.
Examples:
- “They set fire to the old leaves in the garden.”
- “The blaze started when someone set fire to rubbish at the back of the building.”
- “The protesters threatened to set fire to the offices.”
In quick crosswords, clues like “Ignite (3,4,2)”:
- Signal a multi-word verb phrase rather than a single word like “kindle” or “ignite.”
- The specific enumeration (3,4,2) points strongly to “set fire to,” since alternative phrases such as “put fire to” or “lit up” either don’t fit the length or aren’t idiomatic in this sense.
- Everyday and press-style phrasing—especially for dramatic actions—often appears in quick crosswords for accessibility and impact.
Recognising that “ignite” can be paraphrased by a natural-sounding three-word phrase, and matching that to the 3–4–2 structure, leads efficiently to SET FIRE TO.
