E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Fire-eaters.
Persons ready to quarrel for anything. The allusion is to the jugglers who “eat” flaming tow, pour melted lead down their throats, and hold red-hot metal between their teeth. Richardson, in the seventeenth century—Signora Josephine Girardelli (the original Salamander), in the early part of the nineteenth century—and Chaubert, a Frenchman, of the present century, were the most noted of these exhibitors.
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“The great fire-eater lay unconscious upon the floor of the house.”—Nashville Banner.
