tinder box
[ˈtɪndər bɑːks]
nounpl: tinder boxes
caixa de isca; barril de pólvora
1. a small container holding tinder, flint, and steel used historically to start fires
Before matches were invented, people carried a tinder box to start fires when traveling.
Antes da invenção dos fósforos, as pessoas carregavam uma caixa de isca para acender fogueiras ao viajar.
2. a place or situation that is potentially explosive or prone to violence; a volatile situation
The city became a tinder box after the controversial election results.
A cidade tornou-se um barril de pólvora após os resultados eleitorais controversos.
The term originated from colonial and pre-industrial times when fire-making was essential. Today, 'tinder box' is primarily used metaphorically in both American and Brazilian English to describe politically or socially volatile situations. In Brazil, 'barril de pólvora' is the more idiomatic equivalent for the figurative sense, while in Portugal, the historical object sense is rarely used. The word gained renewed cultural relevance with social media apps like Tinder, though the dating app has a different etymology.
NYC Slang
powder keg; hot spot
Related Idioms & Phrases
a tinder box waiting to ignite
sitting on a tinder box
the region is a tinder box
ethnic tensions turned the neighborhood into a tinder box
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