Region: US | Usage example: We held their feet to the fire until they shared the missing data.

Hold feet to the fire

Meaning

Pressure someone to deliver or stay honest.

Used when insisting on accountability.

Origin notes can vary by region and source; this page gives the commonly reported explanation and usage context.

Refers to the practice of pressing someone's feet to a fire as a form of torture to gain compliance.

Used in American political writing since the nineteenth century.