tinderbox
/ˈtɪndəbɒks/ (bre, ipa) · [tˈɪndɚbˌɑks] /ˈtɪndərbɑːks/ (ame, ipa) · [tˈɪndɚbˌɑks] /ˈtin-dər-ˌbäks How to pronounce tinderbox (audio)/ (ame, mw)
tinderbox — noun
- tinderboxsingular
- tinderboxesplural
1. a place or situation where anger and tension have built up so much that any smal
a place or situation where anger and tension have built up so much that any small event could cause violence or conflict to break out
The disputed border remains a tinderbox where one clash could start a war.
figurative: a tinderbox = a place where violence may start at any moment
After the disputed election, the capital became a tinderbox of angry street protests.
pattern: a tinderbox of + [tensions / unrest / protests]
Owen warned that religious strife makes the city a tinderbox ready to erupt.
The refugee camp was a tinderbox — food supplies were low and fights broke out nightly.
When rival supporters met at the stadium, the atmosphere was a tinderbox ready to explode.
- powder keg
more dramatic and suggests a larger explosion; also figurative
- flashpoint
more specific — names the exact location or issue where violence starts
- hotbed
less violent; describes where something (often negative) develops actively, not necessarily explosive
- safe haven
a place of safety and calm, the opposite of a dangerous situation
- peaceful area
a place where tensions are low and conflict is unlikely
文法句型
a tinderbox of [tensions / conflict / ethnic hatred]
用法筆記
Almost always used in the singular in figurative contexts. The noun that follows 'tinderbox of' names the source of tension — commonly ethnic hatred, political unrest, religious conflict, or nationalist anger.
常見錯誤
2. a small metal or wooden container once used to hold dry material for starting a
a small metal or wooden container once used to hold dry material for starting a fire, along with a flint and a piece of steel
The museum display showed an old tinderbox with a flint and steel beside it.
literal meaning: historical fire-starting tool
Before matches were invented, people carried a tinderbox to start cooking fires.
historical context: before the invention of matches
Grandmother kept a brass tinderbox on the shelf, though she never used it for fires.
The team found a Viking tinderbox buried with iron knives and clay cooking pots.
The outdoor instructor showed us how to use a tinderbox and flint in the forest.
用法筆記
This literal sense is mainly used when discussing historical or pre-industrial fire-making methods. In modern contexts it is replaced by 'lighter', 'matches', or 'fire starter'.