ball-busting

ball-busting

1. Hard-working. I can't believe those ball-busting guys got so much work done in just three hours.
2. Particularly challenging or strenuous. Geez, that was a ball-busting problem—I can't believe we finally came up with a solution.
3. Describing someone, often a woman, that is deemed intimidating or threatening. Oh, the guys just accuse Nora of ball-busting because she's not afraid of them.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

ball-busting

1. mod. very difficult or challenging. (Usually objectionable.) Man, that was a real ball-busting job. I hope I never have to do that again.
2. mod. very obnoxious and threatening. (Usually objectionable.) Who is that ball-busting bitch?
3. mod. very industrious. (Usually objectionable.) That’s a real ball-busting crew working on that job.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • shoulder to the wheel, to put/set one's
  • bust a nut
  • bust butt
  • bust butt to do something
  • bust (one's) butt
  • bust one’s butt
  • bust one’s butt to do something
  • bust your chops
  • bust (one's) chops
  • bust chops
References in periodicals archive
At a meeting last Sunday the bondholders' leader Phivos Mavrovouniotis told members that the ball-busting of the public should be stepped up.
Because of the characters I've played, there is this ball-busting facade, which is fine with Chicago and Traffic.
The actress plays tough-talking and ball-busting housing mogul Vivian Rabaya, who is forced to make life-altering decisions after she's diagnosed with an advanced case of bone marrow cancer.
Her nerve endings almost continually exposed, her mouth running like crazy, Mann at first seems to be channeling the ball-busting housewife she played in "Knocked Up" and "This Is 40," but she swiftly establishes Kate as a very different creature--warm and compassionate, and genuinely torn over whether to salvage or further sabotage her marriage.
They have a ball-busting style of management that's prepared to use what Unite call "industrial ransom" to get their way.
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds Utterly predictable rom-com concerning a ball-busting female boss who blackmails her PA into marrying her.
What's hard to deny is how persuasive and contagious the fearless foursome's songs are, especially the irresistible carrier track, She's Kinda Hot, a ball-busting anthem that pays tribute to the outcasts and losers the song champions.
They also appear in his subconscious in various roles; Murray is especially strong as a John Wayne-style cowboy daring Charlie to face a horde of bikini-clad Indians headed by Ivana, and in an inspired sequence that describes a secret organization of ball-busting women, with Murray leading the charge against them.
Ditto for Martin's ball-busting ex-wife (Dawn Olivieri), while Glynn Turman is under-used as his dad.
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds Predictable rom-com about a ball-busting female boss who blackmails her male PA into marrying her to prevent her deportation.
The look on Dukakis' face is priceless, as is her comeback--"I thought you were going to go easy on the medication"--and the first point goes to ball-busting mom.
Jack Ellis suggests but skillfully never pastiches Nicholson in the ball-busting role of the villainous Jessep.
He has no ambitions beyond his night job and hanging around with his best buddy, Karl (Detlev Buck, in dry form), and his ball-busting g.f., cook Katrin (Katja Danowski).
Meanwhile at his office, in one of the play's limper scenes, we see his ball-busting team leader, a woman aptly named Stern (Barbara Garrick), torment his colleagues for Goldberg's absence.
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Betty White Predictable rom-com about a ball-busting female boss who blackmails her male PA into marrying her to prevent deportation.