Link Centre Dictionary

tinderbox

tin·der·box

US/ˈtɪndɜrˌbɑks/ uncommon

noun

1.

a dangerous state of affairs; a situation that is a potential source of violence

  • “the Balkans are the tinderbox of Europe”
2.

Origin

From tinder + box, first use appears c. 1530, in the writings of John Palsgrave.

Phrases

  • Pig and Tinderbox

Related words

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.