fire-eater
Americannoun
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an entertainer who pretends to eat fire.
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an easily provoked, belligerent person.
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U.S. History. an early and extreme Southern advocate of secession before the Civil War.
noun
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a performer who simulates the swallowing of fire
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a belligerent person
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of fire-eater
First recorded in 1665–75
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Her partner, fire-eater Antonio Candella, has also found lockdown hard.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2020
Despite his militant posture in recent years, Davis had not been a genuine fire-eater but a “national Democrat” who had hoped to defend southern rights within the Union through control of the Democratic Party.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 18, 2018
Mr. Kahl’s first wife was the fire-eater in the sideshow; his second runs a gift shop in Coney Island.
From New York Times ● Aug. 4, 2013
He has a thin face and when he sings we hear a dark, gravelly rumble of a voice and see more gaps than teeth – a reminder of his years as a fire-eater.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 24, 2010
The fire-eater, amused, yelled at Salvador to catch his little brother before he ran south all the way to Mexico City.
From "Lupita Mañana" by Patricia Beatty
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
