Fig.: gaining an advantage for oneself or others by dealing with a difficult or dangerous situation. Depending on the situation, the expression can refer to personally resolving a problematic situation for the benefit of others or, the other way around, persuading others to deal with the problem for our own personal gain

Non devi sempre correre in suo aiuto alla minima difficoltà; questa volta lascia che sia lui a togliersi le sue castagne dal fuoco

You shouldn't always run to his rescue at the slightest difficulty; this time let him pull his own chestnuts out of the fire

I'm sorry! I know you're counting on me, but this time I'm not going to pull the chestnuts out of the fire for anyone. I've got enough troubles on my own

Mi dispiace, so che contate su di me, ma questa volta non mi sento di togliere le castagne dal fuoco per nessuno. Ho già abbastanza guai per conto mio

I miei colleghi sperano che sia io ad affrontare il problema dell'aumento di paga con il direttore, ma si sbagliano di grosso se sperano di usare la mia zampa per cavare dal fuoco le loro castagne

My co-workers think they can make the cat's paw out of me in facing the boss about the raise, but they are dead wrong

This expression stems from the fable "The monkey and the cat" by La Fontaine (Fables, IX, 17). It tells the story of a monkey (Bertrand) and a cat (Raton) who live in the same house. One day, the monkey sees some very appetizing chestnuts roasting in the embers of the fireplace, but they are impossible to reach without getting burned. So, he wakes up the cat and, playing on his vanity, persuades him to remove the chestnuts from the fire. Bottom line: the monkey takes the chestnuts and the cat gets burned.