As in hellfire. When a wealthy individual, having rapaciously climbed the ladders of success to get to the top, feels pangs of guilt for the unethical deeds done along the way to get there. Fearing a legacy of scorn, or, if a believer, an eternity of damnation, he or she takes out "fire insurance" in the form of donations to charity and / or public displays of contrition at speaking events, etc.
Marco: Looks like another Ted Talk from a dot com billionaire decrying capitalism—a little fire insurance never hurt, did it?
Polo: Yeah, that person also just had a new building named after her downtown. It's a homeless shelter. The employees of the old companies she destroyed live there now.
Polo: Yeah, that person also just had a new building named after her downtown. It's a homeless shelter. The employees of the old companies she destroyed live there now.
by Helvidius October 19, 2019
Get the fire insurance mug.