tinderbox
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English
Etymology
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Pronunciation
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Noun
tinderbox noun
- A small container containing flint, steel, and tinder (dry, finely-divided fibrous matter), once used to help kindle a fire.“"Just bring me the old tinderbox that my grandmother forgot the last time she went down there."”
- (by extension) a place that is so dry and hot that there is danger of fire.“"Think of your blank journal as a tinderbox, a box for holding combustible materials, ready to catch fire when you sit down to work."”
- (by extension) a potentially dangerous situation.“"This act was the "match that ignited the great tinderbox of fuel" that had been building for years between many of the countries in Europe."”
Verb
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Synonyms
tinder boxtinder-boxtouchboxfirestrikerfirelighterfirestarterkindlerflintfirestickfire-sticksteeldriptorchmatch safetorchgunflintlighter
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Rhymes
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