to catch fire: to begin to burn Examples of TO CATCH FIRE Clay would make them less likely to catch fire from a dropped match or cigarette. The wax drips everywhere and I’m always on edge that something will catch fire.

a crime of passion: a crime committed because of very strong emotional feelings, especially in connection with a sexual relationshipExamples: He killed his lover. It was a crime of passion. She described the stabbing as a crime of passion and jealousy.

to run into: to meet someone unexpectedly; to crash or collide into Examples of TO RUN INTO Just the other day, I ran into a colleague who was on her way to a tango lesson. While researching Wednesday’s post, I ran into a number of strange case studies.

to name after: to give the same name as another Examples of TO NAME AFTER Philippines is named after a Spanish King, a construct developed by the Spanish. Mount Larsen is named after the Antarctic explorer and whaler Carl Anton Larsen.

to tell apart: to distinguish between (also: to pick apart, to tell from) Examples of TO TELL APART Mark and Andy look so alike I can’t tell them apart. I don’t know anything about jazz, so I couldn’t tell any of the songs apart.

to pay attention (to): to look at and listen to someone while they are speaking, to concentrate Examples of PAY ATTENTION (TO) I know I need to pay attention to you when you talk, but you’re just so boring! It’s important to pay attention when your boss is explaining your mistakes.