Idiom: to be under fire; used as a verb


First Example:

Jen: What’s going on in the office? It seems like everyone is being really secretive.
Tom: I heard that Hank Silva is under fire for lying to clients. 
Jen: What?!
Tom: I don’t know all the info, but a number of clients have complained that they were promised more than they received. Some of the clients and even other employees are demanding he be fired, but management is doing an internal investigation.

Meaning: The expression “the be under fire” means that a person is being criticized. In the above example, Tom says that Hank is “under fire” because he’s being criticized by clients and other employees. The expression comes from warfare, where “under fire” means that a person is under attack. However, the expression is now also used when someone is just being attacked verbally with criticism. The word “come” is also often used with “under fire” when discussing a situation when someone has recently “come under fire,” as in the next example.



Second Example:

The politician recently came under fire after she made a controversial statement about immigration. Party officials attacked her for her statement, and many voters in her district are demanding an apology.

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