tinderbox
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tin·der·box
(tĭn′dər-bŏks′)n.
1. A metal box for holding tinder.
2. A potentially explosive place or situation: referred to the crowded prison as a tinderbox of suppressed violence.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
tinderbox
(ˈtɪndəˌbɒks)n
1. a box used formerly for holding tinder, esp one fitted with a flint and steel
2. a person or thing that is particularly touchy or explosive
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
tin•der•box
(ˈtɪn dərˌbɒks)n.
1. a box for holding tinder, usu. fitted with a flint and steel.
2. a person or thing that is highly volatile; any potential source of violence.
[1520–30]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Noun | 1. | tinderbox - a dangerous state of affairs; a situation that is a potential source of violence; "the Balkans are the tinderbox of Europe" situation - a complex or critical or unusual difficulty; "the dangerous situation developed suddenly"; "that's quite a situation"; "no human situation is simple" |
2. | tinderbox - a box for holding tinder box - a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid; "he rummaged through a box of spare parts" |
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Translations
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
tinderbox
n → Zunderbüchse f; to be (like) a tinderbox → wie Zunder brennen; (country etc) → ein Pulverfass sein
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007