powder-barrel

Any day a match may be dropped into that powder-barrel by some wild-eyed militarist over there, by some hair-brained Cabinet officer, or at a hectic session of the Senate over here; and when that starts you can no more prevent a world war than you could prevent the spread of the last conflagration when that cracked-brained youth shot off his pistol in 1914 in far-off and hitherto unheard of Sarajevo.

The Challenge of International Relations to North America 1925

A dozen convicts, who descended wit their pistols in search of him, found him with a match-box in his hand seated beside an open powder-barrel, which was one of a hundred carried on board, and swearing that he would blow all hands up if he were in any way molested.

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes Doyle, Arthur Conan, Sir, 1859-1930 1902

A dozen convicts, who descended with their pistols in search of him, found him with a match-box in his hand seated beside an open powder-barrel, which was one of the hundred carried on board, and swearing that he would blow all hands up if he were in any way molested.

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes Doyle, Arthur Conan, Sir, 1859-1930 1902

A dozen convicts, who descended wit their pistols in search of him, found him with a match-box in his hand seated beside an open powder-barrel, which was one of a hundred carried on board, and swearing that he would blow all hands up if he were in any way molested.

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes Doyle, Arthur Conan, Sir, 1859-1930 1902

A dozen convicts, who descended with their pistols in search of him, found him with a match-box in his hand seated beside an open powder-barrel, which was one of the hundred carried on board, and swearing that he would blow all hands up if he were in any way molested.

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes Doyle, Arthur Conan, Sir, 1859-1930 1902

Even now Europe is said to be sitting on a powder-barrel.

All for a Scrap of Paper A Romance of the Present War Joseph Hocking 1898

To add a handful of New England Independents, a Puritan of Boston, and three Huguenots to such a gathering, was indeed to bring fire-brand and powder-barrel together.

The Refugees Arthur Conan Doyle 1894

A dozen convicts, who descended with their pistols in search of him, found him with a match-box in his hand seated beside an open powder-barrel, which was one of a hundred carried on board, and swearing that he would blow all hands up if he were in any way molested.

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes Arthur Conan Doyle 1894

A dozen convicts, who descended with their pistols in search of him, found him with a match-box in his hand seated beside an open powder-barrel, which was one of the hundred carried on board, and swearing that he would blow all hands up if he were in any way molested.

The Adventure of the "Gloria Scott" 1893

It is mercy to trample out the first sparks beside a powder-barrel.

Expositions of Holy Scripture Alexander Maclaren 1868