ball of fire

plural balls of fire

1. idiomaticA person who is especially active, ambitious, hard-working, or high-achieving.

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

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

   3 more examples

   "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?"

   1910, Rex Ellingwood Beach, chapter 16, in Going Some: A Romance of Strenuous Affection

   Despite Kennedy's glowing tribute, Hernandez was no ball of fire his first year as a pro.

   1981, Jim Brosnan, “Keith Hernandez on the Rocky Road to Cooperstown,”, in Boys' Life, volume 71, number 9, page 36

   "[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."

   1994, M. Scott Peck, A World Waiting to Be Born: Civility Rediscovered, →ISBN, page 198

   Synonyms: go-getter