👩‍💼 A demanding woman 💪 A hard task

ball-buster

2 9.9

A woman who is seen as very demanding and controlling

noun
/ˈbɔlˌbʌstər/

Slur

: rompepelotas

Examples

Bernie, correct me if I'm wrong... but isn't she the ball-buster who had the temerity to ask my client... if he was honestly worth 40 million?

The Fan (1996)
She is known as a real ball-buster in the office, pushing everyone to meet high standards.
Many considered her a ball-buster because she always challenged the men in the boardroom.
Her reputation as a ball-buster made some colleagues hesitant to work with her.

Synonyms

ballbuster

vsball-buster

Offensive

1 9.3

A strict, demanding person who expects hard work

is used for a woman seen as domineering and undermining men's confidence

How Domineering

ball-buster

Slur

2 9.9

demandingness

8.1

Surface Forms

ball-buster singular

ball-busters plural

Morphology

ball-buster = ball + buster (semi-transparent) = ball + buster

The morphological composition is clear, but the derogatory, gendered, and slang sense ('a domineering woman') is culturally specific and idiomatic.

Etymology

Ball-buster is slang and comes from balls ('testicles' or 'courage') plus -buster ('breaker'), so it pictures someone who 'breaks' men's confidence. Because of that image, calling a woman a ball-buster means she is seen as very demanding or domineering, but this word is rude and can offend people.