ball of fire
n., pl. balls of fire.
A highly energetic or dynamic person. Also called fireball.
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A highly energetic or dynamic person. Also called fireball.
A dynamic, energetic, and successful individual, as in I hope Pat joins us; she's a real ball of fire. [Slang; early 1800s]




The noun has 2 meanings:
Meaning #1:
a highly energetic and indefatigable person
Synonyms: powerhouse, human dynamo, fireball
Meaning #2:
someone whose career progresses rapidly
Synonyms: go-getter, whizz-kid, whiz-kid
| Ball of Fire | |
|---|---|
![]() Ball of Fire movie poster |
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| Directed by | Howard Hawks |
| Produced by | Samuel Goldwyn |
| Written by | Charles Brackett Billy Wilder |
| Starring | Gary Cooper Barbara Stanwyck |
| Music by | Alfred Newman |
| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures Inc. |
| Release date(s) | December 2, 1941 (U.S. release) |
| Running time | 111 min |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Ball of Fire (also known as The Professor and the Burlesque Queen) is a 1941 comedy film about a group of erudite professorial encyclopedists and their encounter with a nightclub performer. The film stars Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Oskar Homolka, Henry Travers, Richard Haydn, Dana Andrews, Dan Duryea and Elisha Cook Jr..
In 1948, the plot was resurrected in a musical form for the movie A Song Is Born, starring Danny Kaye and Virginia Mayo.
A group of professors have lived together, isolated for years in an urban residence, compiling an encyclopedia of all human knowledge. The youngest, Professor Bertram Potts (Cooper), is a scholar of grammar and language who is researching modern American slang. They are accustomed to working in relative seclusion at a leisurely pace, but suddenly their financial backer demands that they finish their work soon.
Venturing out to do some independent research, Bertram becomes interested in the slang vocabulary of saucy burlesque performer "Sugarpuss" O'Shea (Stanwyck). She is reluctant to assist him in his research until she needs a place to hide from the police, who want to question her about her boyfriend, gangster Joe Lilac (Andrews). Sugarpuss takes refuge in the house where the professors live and work, despite Bertram's objections.
The professors soon become enamored of her insouciance, and she unexpectedly begins to become quite fond of them. She teaches them to cha cha and demonstrates to Bertram the meaning of the phrase "yum yum" (kisses). She becomes attracted to Bertram, who reciprocates with a vengeance by awkwardly (and inadvertently) proposing to her. She accepts, but is promptly taken away by Lilac's henchmen: Lilac also wants to marry her, but only so she cannot testify against him.
The professors eventually outwit Lilac and his henchmen and rescue Sugarpuss. She decides she isn't good enough for Bertram, but his forceful application of "yum, yum" convinces her to change her mind.
The script was written by Charles Brackett, Thomas Monroe, and Billy Wilder from a short story written by Wilder while he was still in Europe, and based in part on the fairy tale Snow White. The professors themselves were based on the dwarfs from Walt Disney's animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Although Ball of Fire was directed ably by Howard Hawks, Wilder thereafter directed his own films. The film was also the second feature of 1941 to pair Cooper and Stanwyck, following Meet John Doe.
Wilder reveled in poking fun at those who took politics too seriously. At one point, 'Sugarpuss' points to her sore throat and complains "Slight rosiness? It's as red as the Daily Worker and just as sore." Later, she gives the overbearing and unsmiling housekeeper the name 'Franco'.
Ball of Fire was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Barbara Stanwyck), Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic Picture, Best Sound, Recording and Best Writing, Original Story.
Examples of 1940s American slang used in the film:
| Films directed by Howard Hawks |
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The Road to Glory • Fig Leaves • The Cradle Snatchers • Paid to Love • A Girl in Every Port • Fazil • The Air Circus • Trent's Last Case • The Dawn Patrol • The Criminal Code • La Foule hurle • Scarface • The Crowd Roars • Tiger Shark • Today We Live • The Prizefighter and the Lady • Viva Villa! • Twentieth Century • Barbary Coast • Ceiling Zero • Sutter's Gold • The Road to Glory • Come and Get It • Bringing up Baby • Only Angels Have Wings • His Girl Friday • Sergeant York • Ball of Fire • Air Force • The Outlaw • To Have and Have Not • The Big Sleep • Red River • A Song Is Born • I Was a Male War Bride • The Thing from Another World • The Big Sky • Monkey Business • O. Henry's Full House • Gentlemen Prefer Blondes • Land of the Pharaohs • Rio Bravo • Hatari! • Man's Favorite Sport? • Red Line 7000 • El Dorado • Rio Lobo |
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Copyrights:
![]() | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more | |
![]() | Idioms. The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more | |
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