powder keg

See also: powderkeg

English

Alternative forms

• powderkeg

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Noun

powder keg (plural powder kegs)

1. A barrel containing gunpowder.
2. (figuratively) An explosive or otherwise volatile situation.

   powder keg of Europe (term describing the unstable state of the Balkans before World War I)

Synonyms

• (figurative): tinderbox

Translations

barrel of gun powder

• Basque: bolborategi
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 火藥桶 / 火药桶 (zh) (huǒyàotǒng)

• Danish: krudttønde c, tønde krudt c
• Finnish: ruutitynnyri
• French: poudrière (fr) f
• German: Pulverfass (de) n
• Hungarian: puskaporos hordó (hu)
• Icelandic: púðurtunna f
• Italian: polveriera (it) f
• Polish: beczka prochu f
• Portuguese: barril de pólvora
• Russian: порохова́я бо́чка (ru) f (poroxovája bóčka)
• Spanish: polvorín m
• Swedish: kruttunna c
• Ukrainian: бочка для пороху f (bočka dlja poroxu)

volatile situation

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 火藥桶 / 火药桶 (zh) (huǒyàotǒng)

• Danish: krudttønde c
• Finnish: ruutitynnyri
• French: poudrière (fr) f
• German: Pulverfass (de) n
• Icelandic: púðurtunna f
• Italian: polveriera (it) f
• Macedonian: буре барут n (bure barut)
• Polish: beczka prochu f
• Russian: порохова́я бо́чка (ru) f (poroxovája bóčka)
• Spanish: polvorín m
• Swedish: krutdurk (sv) c
• Ukrainian: порохова́ бо́чка f (poroxová bóčka)