Meanings
plural sit-by-the-fires
- A person who prefers to stay at home rather than go out and socialize.
The moment he allows the emphasis to swing the other way he becomes a sit-by-the-fire, a cockerel, a drone, a henpeck. A woman steps into this man's sphere at her peril.
1985, James Mallahan Cain, Roy Hoopes, Michael Hinden, 60 Years of Journalism, page 401 more example
It's remarkable how marriage changes them. I mean nobody would ever thought ^([sic]) Celia Sayles would turn out to be a sit-by-the-fire. I mean she still likes a good time, but her home and kiddies come first. I mean her home and kiddies come first.
1926, Ring Lardner, The Love Nest and other storiesSynonyms: homebody, stay-at-home
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA person who prefers to stay at home rather than go out and socialize.
Cite this entry
sit-by-the-fire. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sit-by-the-fire
“sit-by-the-fire.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sit-by-the-fire. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sit-by-the-fire,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sit-by-the-fire.
Source: sit-by-the-fire on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.