powder keg

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powder keg

noun powder kegs · powderkeg

A barrel containing gunpowder.
Similar: tinderbox
figuratively An explosive or otherwise volatile situation. powder keg of Europe (term describing the unstable state of the Balkans before World War I)

Translations

Every language

noun barrel of gun powder

Español	polvorín
中文	火藥桶 /火药桶 huǒyàotǒng
Português	barril de pólvora
Français	poudrière
Deutsch	Pulverfass
Italiano	polveriera
Русский	порохова́я бо́чка poroxovája bóčka

noun volatile situation

Español	polvorín
中文	火藥桶 /火药桶 huǒyàotǒng
Français	poudrière
Deutsch	Pulverfass
Italiano	polveriera
Русский	порохова́я бо́чка poroxovája bóčka

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MLA

"powder keg." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/powder%20keg. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

powder keg. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/powder%20keg

Chicago

"powder keg." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/powder%20keg.

BibTeX

@misc{powder_keg_2026,
  title = {powder keg},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/powder%20keg},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}