chain lightning

noun3

1. •
   (US, Canada) Lightning in angular, zigzag, or forked flashes.

   • smart as chain lightning (sharp-witted)
2. •
   [before a noun] (US) (A person or thing that is) very fast and dynamic.

   • Hettie was chain lightning with a six-shooter.
3. •
   (slang, no longer used) A high-proof whiskey or other spirit that has not been allowed to mature; a poor-quality or adulterated spirit.

   • Give me a meetin where nobody cares a snap of a finger for nobody in particular, and has no interest but in a good feed, a good song, a good smoke, and chain-lightning to top it all off with. — 1860