keg

American  

[keg] / kɛg /

noun

1. a small cask or barrel, usually holding from 5 to 10 gallons (19 to 38 liters).

2. a unit of weight, equal to 100 pounds (45 kilograms), used for nails.

3. Also kegger. a keg party; beer bust.

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keg British  

/ kɛɡ /

noun

1. a small barrel with a capacity of between five and ten gallons

2. 1. an aluminium container in which beer is transported and stored

   2. Also called: keg beer.  beer kept in a keg: it is infused with gas and served under pressure

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keg Idioms  

1. see sitting on a powder keg.

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Etymology

Origin of keg

1585–95; earlier cag < Old Norse kaggi

Example Sentences

It was a powder keg waiting to blow.

From Barron's

It was a powder keg waiting to blow.

From Barron's

In 1768 King George III filled Boston with armed troops, creating a powder keg; in two years the spark of a single rifle shot would explode the Boston Massacre.

From The Wall Street Journal

Witless doesn’t even begin to describe celebrating those who are willing to fall down a hill for a keg of not very good beer at a wedding.

From Los Angeles Times

“We’re standing next to a dynamite keg and the fuse is lit,” said Johnston.

From Literature

Related Words

• cask