Brewer's: Lightning

[Barca]. Hamilcar of Carthage was called “Barca,” both on account of the rapidity of his march and also for the severity of his attacks. (B.C. 247-228.)

Chain lightning.
Two or more flashes of lightning repeated without intermission. Forked lightning. Zig-zag lightning. Globular lightning. A meteoricball [of fire], which sometimes falls on the earth and flies off with an explosion.
Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
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