What does powder keg mean?
Definitions for powder keg
pow·der keg
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word powder keg.
Princeton's WordNet
powder kegnoun
a potentially explosive state
powder kegnoun
keg (usually made of metal) for gunpowder or blasting powder
Wiktionary
powder kegnoun
A barrel containing gunpowder.
powder kegnoun
An explosive or otherwise volatile situation.
ChatGPT
powder keg
A powder keg is a situation or place that has potential for sudden violence, political unrest or catastrophe because of prevailing unstable, volatile, or explosive conditions. Historically, a powder keg refers to a barrel used to store gunpowder, which can ignite and explode if accidentally exposed to a spark or fire. The term is thus used metaphorically to describe a dangerous situation on the brink of eruption.
Wikidata
Powder keg
A powder keg is a barrel of gunpowder. The powder keg was the primary method for storing and transporting large quantities of black powder up until the 1870s and the adoption of the modern cased bullet. However, the barrels had to be handled with care, since a spark or other source of heat could cause the contents to deflagrate.
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of powder keg in Chaldean Numerology is: 6
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of powder keg in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5
Examples of powder keg in a Sentence
Former Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening:
He understands what it is like to be the top elected official in a really challenging urban area, including the area of law enforcement, what you've got here is a powder keg in the sense that the community doesn't trust the police and the police doesn't trust the community, amidst a growing sense of poverty and inequity and hopelessness.
Somebody did something inappropriate and therefore she understood -- I believe -- that she was sitting on a powder keg and needed to do something to calm the situation down.
This is the scariest thing - we're living on a powder keg. We don't know where else has been compromised. We can protect everything, we can teach administrators never to open emails, but the system is already infected.
Translations for powder keg
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
Get even more translations for powder keg »
Translation
Find a translation for the powder keg definition in other languages:
Select another language:
- - Select -
- 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
- 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
- Español (Spanish)
- Esperanto (Esperanto)
- 日本語 (Japanese)
- Português (Portuguese)
- Deutsch (German)
- العربية (Arabic)
- Français (French)
- Русский (Russian)
- ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
- 한국어 (Korean)
- עברית (Hebrew)
- Gaeilge (Irish)
- Українська (Ukrainian)
- اردو (Urdu)
- Magyar (Hungarian)
- मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
- Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Italiano (Italian)
- தமிழ் (Tamil)
- Türkçe (Turkish)
- తెలుగు (Telugu)
- ภาษาไทย (Thai)
- Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
- Čeština (Czech)
- Polski (Polish)
- Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Românește (Romanian)
- Nederlands (Dutch)
- Ελληνικά (Greek)
- Latinum (Latin)
- Svenska (Swedish)
- Dansk (Danish)
- Suomi (Finnish)
- فارسی (Persian)
- ייִדיש (Yiddish)
- հայերեն (Armenian)
- Norsk (Norwegian)
- English (English)
Word of the Day
Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?
Citation
Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"powder keg." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 24 Dec. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/powder+keg>.
Discuss these powder keg definitions with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In