Great balls of fire

Posted by ESC on September 30, 2005

In Reply to: Great balls of fire posted by Steve E on September 30, 2005

: : : : What is the meaning of "great balls of fire" when we use it for human?

: : : I'm not sure about "when we use it for human." But anyone who reads the comic pages of newspapers (or the funny papers) probably recognizes "Great balls of fire" as a favorite interjection of Snuffy Smith, a friend of Barney Google's. The two were hill-billy goofballs ever since 1934, and very popular for a long period of time. What does it mean? Nothing much other than "Wow!" or "Holy Smoke!" Might come from the Bible, but probably not. SS, ESL

: : It is an exclamation:
: : 1 : a sharp or sudden utterance
: : 2 : vehement expression of protest or complaint
: : (Merriam-Webster)

: Also a song by Jerry Lee Lewis. "Goodness gracious, Great Balls of Fire!"

Whose birthday was Thursday, Sept. 29.