Red Hot Irons in the Fire

Red Hot Irons in the Fire

Actually, this is a mixed metaphor. When somebody is still participating in something, they can be said to "still have an iron in the fire" or if they are juggling too many activities, they can be said to "have too many irons in the fire". However, it is a separate slang phrase to "pull someone's [any number of nouns can go here, but not "iron"] from the fire", that is to save them from a dangerous or unwanted situation.
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forge | fd | n. ME. [(O)Fr. f. Proto-Romance f. L fabrica trade, workshop, fabric.] 1 A smithy. ME. 2 Manufacture, construction; style of construction, make, workmanship. LME-L17. 3 A blacksmith's hearth or fireplace with attached bellows, used for heating iron to make it malleable. L15. 4 A hearth or furnace for melting or refining metals; a workshop etc. where this is done. L15.
1 JO GRIMOND A blacksmith's forge in which the smith in leather apron hammered out red-hot horse-shoes. 3 fig.: W. M. PRAED In laboured phrase and polished lie Wrought by the forge of flattery.
Comb.: forge-man a worker in a forge, a blacksmith; forge-master the manager or owner of a forge.

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Excerpted from The Oxford Interactive Encyclopedia
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