ball of fire
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English
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]Audio (General Australian): (file)
Noun
[edit]ball of fire (plural balls of fire)
- (idiomatic) A person who is especially active, ambitious, hard-working, or high-achieving.
- 1910, Rex Ellingwood Beach, chapter 16, in Going Some: A Romance of Strenuous Affection:
- "I wonder how fast this feller is? Ever heard?"
"They seem to think he's a whirlin' ball of fire, but that don't worry you none, does it?"
- 1981, Jim Brosnan, “Keith Hernandez on the Rocky Road to Cooperstown,”, in Boys' Life, volume 71, number 9, page 36:
- Despite Kennedy's glowing tribute, Hernandez was no ball of fire his first year as a pro.
- 1994, M. Scott Peck, A World Waiting to Be Born: Civility Rediscovered[1], →ISBN, page 198:
- "[T]ell me what you can about her supervisor," I requested. "Woman in her mid-fifties. No ball of fire. She's been with the company for twenty-two years and demonstrated no desire to climb any further."
Usage notes
[edit]- Often used in the expression no ball of fire.
Synonyms
[edit]- go-getter; see also Thesaurus:doer
Related terms
[edit]Translations
[edit]hard-working, high-achieving, ambitious, or active person
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