tinderbox
/ˈtɪndərˌbɑks/
noun
- A small box containing tinder, flint, and steel, used in the past for starting fires.
- The museum displayed an antique tinderbox from the 1700s.
- He found a rusty tinderbox in his grandfather's attic.
- Before matches were invented, people carried a tinderbox to light their fires.
- A situation or place that is very tense and likely to become violent or dangerous.
- After the election results, the city became a tinderbox of anger and frustration.
- The border region is a tinderbox, ready to explode at any moment.
- The school was a tinderbox of bullying and resentment among students.