touchpaper
Britishnoun
-
paper soaked in saltpetre and used for firing gunpowder
-
to do something that will cause much anger or excitement
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Five-time champions Brazil were held to a 1-1 draw by a powerful Morocco side as they lit the touchpaper on their challenge on Saturday.
From Barron's • Jun. 14, 2026
He diverted it into his own net, unwittingly lighting the blue touchpaper.
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2023
With tennis academies springing up all over China, Wu could be the player to light the blue touchpaper.
From Reuters • Sep. 18, 2017
One of them, funnily enough, lit the touchpaper in front of Paul, who, after he left university, got a job with a high-flying London financier notorious for his constantly “revolving door” of temporary PAs.
From Salon • Oct. 13, 2012
He then placed the touchpaper on an old cambric handkerchief.
From Travels in North America, From Modern Writers With Remarks and Observations; Exhibiting a Connected View of the Geography and Present State of that Quarter of the Globe by Bingley, William
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
