fire-eater
/'faiər,i:tə/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A performer who pretends to swallow fire: A person, typically in a circus or sideshow, who performs the dangerous trick of putting flaming objects into their mouth.
- A belligerent grouch: A person who is habitually aggressive, quarrelsome, or eager to fight.
- A member of a fire department who tries to extinguish fires: (Archaic or informal) A firefighter.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- The circus featured a talented fire-eater who amazed the crowd.
- Don't argue with him; he's a real fire-eater and loves a fight.
- In the 19th century, brave fire-eaters rushed to save buildings from flames.
Advanced Usage
- Historical Context: In the 19th century, "fire-eater" was sometimes used colloquially for firefighters, emphasizing their bravery in facing fire.
- Figurative Use: The term is often used metaphorically to describe a person with a fiercely combative or uncompromising personality, especially in politics or debate.
- The senator was known as a political fire-eater for his fiery speeches.
Variants and Related Words
- Fire-eating (noun): The act or performance of a fire-eater.
- Fire-eating requires extensive safety training.
- Fire-eating (adjective): Characteristic of a fire-eater; aggressively confrontational.
- His fire-eating rhetoric alienated potential allies.
Synonyms
- For the performer: flame swallower, fire performer.
- For the aggressive person: hothead, brawler, combatant, aggressor.
- For the firefighter: firefighter, fireman (dated).
Related Phrases
- To breathe fire: To speak with great anger or intensity. (This is a related idiom but uses "fire" separately).
- The manager breathed fire after seeing the mistake.
Related Idioms
- A fire-eating attitude: A consistently aggressive and confrontational approach.
- His success in negotiations wasn't due to a fire-eating attitude, but to careful diplomacy.
Noun
- a performer who pretends to swallow fire
- a belligerent grouch
- a member of a fire department who tries to extinguish fires