1. A juggler who eats or pretends to eat fire.

      1672 1762 1827
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1672 EVELYN Diary 8 Oct., Richardson the famous Fire-eater..before us devour'd brimston on glowing coales, chewing and swallowing them. 1762 GOLDSM. Cit. W. lxxxv, Stage-players, fire-eaters..and wire-walkers..ought not entirely to be despised. 1827 G. HIGGINS Celtic Druids 221 Like the celebrated fire-eater in London.

    2. One fond of fighting, a duellist; one who seeks occasion to quarrel or fight.

        1864
1840
1827
1804
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1804 Morning Herald in Spirit Pub. Jrnls. (1805) VIII. 249 The Sieur W-d-m, fire-eater in ordinary to the troop. 1827 BARRINGTON Personal Sk. II. 8 About the year 1777, the ‘Fire-eaters’ were in great repute. 1840 THACKERAY Paris Sk.-bk. (1869) 25 He killed a celebrated French fire-eater. 1864 Spectator No. 187. 627 Sober-minded men..not fire-eaters wishing to fight for pure fighting's sake.

    b. (U.S.) Before the Civil War: A violent Southern partisan.

        1879
1863
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1863 HAWTHORNE Our Old Home (1883) I. 55 The newcomer proved to be..as he pleasantly acknowledged, a Southern Fire-Eater. 1879 TOURGEE Fool's Err. vii. 30 An original Secesh, a regular fire-eater.

    3. Trade slang. A quick worker.

        1889
1841
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1841 SAVAGE Dict. Printing, Fire-eater, Compositors who are expeditious workmen are styled Fire Eaters. 1889 BARRÈRE & LELAND Dict. Slang, Fire-eater, (Tailors), one who does a great amount of work in a very short time.

    So {sm}fire-{smm}eating vbl. n. and ppl. a.

        1890
1882
1863
1848
1819
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1819 Metropolis II. 207, I would as soon sit down in company with my butcher as with these fire-eating fellows. 1848 THACKERAY Van. Fair xvii, A fire-eating and jealous warrior. 1863 HAWTHORNE Our Old Home (1883) I. 55 My fire-eating friend has had ample opportunities to banquet on his favorite diet. 1882 W. HASLAM Yet not I (1883) 8 He did not like that fire-eating kind of preaching. 1890 Spectator 4 Jan., The absence of fire-eating among the leading statesmen of Europe.