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前两天接触到这样一段台词：We were making out the other day. Things got a little en fuego. She drops the bomb. She's not gonna have premarital sex until she's married.
说话的人是个比较"没脑子"的角色，每每听到别人用稍微深奥一点的词就会一头雾水（不妨想象Friends里的Joey）。既然他都能那么顺畅地说en fuego，想必这个短语十分大众化。赶紧google了一下，发现原来en fuego的流行是拜ESPN的主持人Dan Patrick所赐。
In 1994, when calling the highlights for a game in which Marv Albert described Sam Cassell as being "on fire," Dan Patrick said he was "el fuego", which he thought was Spanish for "on fire." A few months later, he received a letter from a Spanish teacher in Pennsylvania suggesting that he say that athletes are "en fuego" (on fire) rather than "el fuego" (the fire). Since then, Patrick has used "en fuego" on certain occasions when a player is said to be "on fire."
Note that "en fuego" is an Anglicism in Spanish, since it is a literal translation from English (and could be also translated as "in fire"– that is, "in flames," which has nearly the opposite meaning); as such, other translations would be more fitting, e.g., prendido ("lit" or "fired up"). Patrick started using the "en fuego" phrase because he believed the standard "on fire" phrase had become cliché. A more practical way to translate this phrase could be "a fuego" which carries all the meaning the "on fire" English phrase has.
Dan Patrick has used this phrase twice in music videos:
* In the 1995 Hootie & the Blowfish song "Only Wanna Be With You", where he called the group, who was using their money to purchase several sports teams in the video, "Dare I say they're anything but 'en fuego'."
* In the 2002 Brad Paisley song "I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)", with the quote "Brad Paisley, dare I say, 'en fuego'."
简而言之，en fuego可以当on fire的同义词来使用。比较常见的情景有两种：一是形容某人（或某队）状态很好，炙手可热；二是形容某情形或场面比较激烈、火爆。
Bonus video: Shayne Ward - No U Hang Up
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