live wire
2
4.6
- noun
- /laɪv waɪər/
- Informal
:
persona enérgica
- She is such a live wire; her energy keeps everyone motivated during meetings.
Examples
-
Ennis put his arm around Jack, pulled him close, and said he saw his girls about once a month: Alma Jr., a shy seventeen-year-old with her beanpole length, and Francine, a little live wire.
Fiction book (2000) -
"He can be sort of a live wire," she said.
Fiction book (1997) -
This one's a live wire.
Blog text (26) -
I'm a real live wire.
-
But the man's a live wire.
-
She was a real live wire.
-
He's a live wire though, ain't he?
-
Oh, gosh, I really wouldn't mess with him if I were you... ...because he's a bit of a live wire.
-
Then he writes in my yearbook: "You're a live wire. Love, Mr. Carroll."
-
At the party, Jake was the live wire who got everyone dancing and having fun.
Synonyms
3
6.1
A person who is very willing to do extra work and works harder than others
3
2.9
A person who always works hard and stays active
A person who notices things quickly and acts fast
Antonyms
How Energetic
Surface Forms
Morphology
live + wire
The meaning 'an energized electrical conductor' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'live' (energized/charged) with 'wire' (a conductor); a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer this literal sense. Although the phrase also has a metaphorical sense ('an energetic person'), the electrical meaning is compositional and cross-linguistically accessible.
Etymology
Live wire comes from the picture of a live wire that carries electricity, sparks, and is hard to touch. That's why a person called a live wire is 'full of energy' and always active.