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tinderbox

 - 2 dictionary results

tin⋅der⋅box

[tin-der-boks]
–noun
1. a box for holding tinder, usually fitted with a flint and steel.
2. a person or thing that is highly excitable, explosive, inflammable, etc.; a potential source of widespread violence: Berlin was the tinderbox of Europe.

Origin:
1520–30; tinder + box 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To tinderbox
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.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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