powder kegs

plural of powder keg
as in volcanoes
a potentially explosive place or situation the immigration bill has become a political powder keg for legislators on both sides of the aisle

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of powder kegs There are several other emotional powder kegs that need one little spark, and those babies are going all the way off. Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 13 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for powder kegs
volcanoes
Noun
  • The Island of Hawaii features three famous volcanoes — Kilauea with its spectacular eruptions, Mauna Kea and its spectacular sunsets, and Mauna Loa, the world’s highest mountain when measured from its underwater base to the summit.
    Joe Yogerst, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
  • The other satellite system, NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR), typically uses radar imaging to continually map and track changes across the Earth’s surface, including earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, and ice sheet collapses.
    Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 27 May 2026

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“Powder kegs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/powder%20kegs. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.

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