ball of fire

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ball of fire (plural balls of fire)

1. (idiomatic) A person who is especially hard-working, high-achieving, ambitious, or active.
   • 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, →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."

   • 2008, Frank L. Hicks Jr., Invisible Bridges‎, →ISBN, page 203:

     "He really knows how to make a woman feel good. He's a ball of fire in bed."

• Often used in the expression "no ball of fire".

• go-getter; See also Thesaurus:doer

• great balls of fire

• bill of fare