fire-eater

American  

[fahyuhr-ee-ter] / ˈfaɪərˌi tər /

noun

1. an entertainer who pretends to eat fire.

2. an easily provoked, belligerent person.

3. U.S. History. an early and extreme Southern advocate of secession before the Civil War.

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fire-eater British  

noun

1. a performer who simulates the swallowing of fire

2. a belligerent person

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Other Word Forms

• fire-eating adjective

Etymology

Origin of fire-eater

First recorded in 1665–75

Example Sentences

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

Here, while working as a bongo drummer in a nightclub, the man who would become known as the "Playboy Peer" met his second wife, Shirin Belly, a Malaysian belly dancer and fire-eater.

From BBC • Sep. 20, 2016

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

In one square the crowds were particularly dense, and as Meggie pushed her way through them with Mo she saw they were standing around a fire-eater.

From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke