American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth
Edition - n. A quick-tempered or highly excitable person.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia - n. An irascible or
passionate person; one whose temper is hot or fiery. - n. A
person with a fiery temper, someone easily provoked to anger. -
n. obsolete A spirited young woman. GNU Webster's 1913 - n.
colloq. A violent, irascible, or passionate person. - n. a
highly emotional and quick-tempered person (especially a girl or
woman) - A compound of spit + fire as a euphemistic rendition of
shitfire, from Spanish cacafuego ("braggart") with the literal
translation of "fireshitter". (Wiktionary) “Through a review of
Army reports and the memories of a fellow POW tracked down in
New Jersey, The Associated Press was able to reconstruct the
conditions under which the young man — called a "spitfire" and
the "life of the party" — starved to death in a prisoner of war
camp.” “You know, Elizabeth Edwards has been described as a
spitfire, highly educated.” “Truth and