The phrase "powder keg" refers to a situation or place that is filled with tension, anger, or conflict, which could potentially explode or escalate into violence or chaos. Full definition
I began to see what those no - fun tee - totalers a hundred years ago had seen — how the victims of alcohol were almost always the ones who were most vulnerable, how it impoverished families and lives, how it threw a lit match into powder kegs of longings. (sarahbessey.com)
In Canberra, the politics of power has become a veritable powder keg for the patrician and aloof PM, Malcolm Turnbull. (stopthesethings.com)
The things you regret generally come out of situations that are emotional powder kegs. (relevantmagazine.com)