powder kegs
Volatile situation metaphors
A powder keg is a barrel or container for storing gunpowder or other explosives.
This literal meaning gives rise to the much more common figurative use: a volatile situation or place that could erupt into violence or conflict at any moment.
The region has been a powder keg since the disputed election.
Rising tensions turned the protest into a powder keg.
The phrase emphasizes how a single spark—a triggering event—could set off an explosion.
- gunpowderCombustible propellant mixture
- flammableProne to ignition
- volatileLiable to sudden change
- detonationExplosive ignition event
- tinderboxFire-starting kit holder
explosive · flashpoint · lit fuse · combustible · fuse · social unrest · arms · barrels · siege tactics · magazines · cartridge belts · time bombs · Balkans · muzzleloader · bomb · Revolutionary War · heavy ordnance · hazard
- danger zonesdanger zone, danger zones, disaster zone, war zone, war zones
- arsenalsammunition, munitions, ordnance, armories, ammo dumps
- Conflict ZonesGaza, Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq
- arms and armorswords, shields, helmets, daggers, axes
- ammunitionammunition, ammo, bullet, bullets, shells
- naval gunnerynaval gun, cannons, gunnery drills, guns, naval guns
powder kegssafe havens
Protected places from harm
calm waters · steady states · equilibrium · sanctuaries · even keel
powder kegssanctuaries
Protected places of refuge
refuges · shelters · neutral ground · demilitarized zones · comfort zones
powder kegsdemilitarized zones
Areas banning armed forces
rapprochements · truces · peace accords · reconciliations · buffer zones