Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Alternative spelling of
touch-paper .
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word touchpaper.
Examples
-
The man who lit the blue touchpaper was Jimmy Grafton, publican, scriptwriter and Secombe's manager.
The Goon Show must go on – 60 years since its first broadcast 2011
-
Where competition over resources is acute, local grievances sometimes threaten to light the blue touchpaper.
'Green peacemaking' needed on Latin America's environmental disputes 2011
-
If there are moments of relative regret – "All the Shine" is a wobbly rock fusion in which Glover's singing never quite convinces – then a raw and manic "Bonfire" relights the touchpaper.
-
In fact the statue of Verwoerd had been there for years, under both ANC and DA administrations, but a chance reference to it in a newspaper article lit the blue touchpaper.
Why is South Africa still providing 'apartheid toilets'? | David Smith 2011
-
After more than two decades of slow burn, the National Basketball Association believe next year's London Olympics could light the blue touchpaper for the sport in Britain.
Olympic 'gift' could make British hoop dreams a reality | London 2012 2011
-
All it requires is for the national team to light the blue touchpaper more regularly.
Six Nations: Italy on the rise and ready to become contenders | Robert Kitson 2012
-
The election of even one such MP this year would light the touchpaper.
-
Light the blue touchpaper and retire to a safe distance
Light the blue touchpaper and retire to a safe distance 2008
-
The election of even one such MP this year would light the touchpaper.
-
So hardly need anything like say a Polaris missile, just a basic light the touchpaper and stand back rocket would do.
Paul Flynn MP - Shows he is as thick as pig shit. FIDO The Dog 2009
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.