salamander, n. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

salamander n.

[SE salamander, a mythical lizard-like animal, once thought to be capable of living in fire; Williams notes that it was used in the 17C to invoke sexual coldness (i.e. the cold-blooded lizard)]

1. a fire-eating juggler.

1838		D. Jerrold Men of Character I 77: Job was not a salamander; a red hot spark from the blazing wood had inopportunely lighted on his cheek.
1860		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc. 204: salamanders street acrobats and jugglers who eat fire.
1873		Sl. Dict.
1886		W. Besant Children of Gibeon (2001) 74: We ain’t a show. Lotty ain’t a clown; I ain’t a jumping-horse; Liz ain’t a salamander.
1895		Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 69: Slamander [sic], a street acrobat and juggler who eats fire.

2. (Aus.) a fireman.

1906

Sun. Times (Perth) 26 Aug. 1/1: An attempted jewel robbery by drinken firemen has been hushed up [and] the advent of the John disturbed the shickered Salamanders in their felony.