Example: Hij stak de lont in het kruitvat door te provoceren.
Definition
"De lont in het kruitvat steken" is a Dutch expression meaning to provoke a situation or person in a way that causes immediate and intense conflict or trouble, similar to lighting a fuse on a powder keg, leading to an explosive outcome.
Translations
to trigger a conflict
encender la mecha
encendre la metxa
mettre le feu aux poudres
das Pulverfass entzünden
mettere la miccia nella polveriera
colocar o estopim na pólvora
Etymology
The phrase "de lont in het kruitvat steken" literally means 'to put the fuse into the powder keg.' It originates from the dangerous practice of lighting a fuse on a barrel of gunpowder, which would cause an explosion. This vivid metaphor has been used in Dutch to describe actions that provoke or escalate conflicts, much like igniting a volatile situation.
Learn to use this expression actively
"De lont in het kruitvat steken" appears in the Vocaplus list "Dutch - General - Idioms and Proverbs - (C1) - set 1", containing 100 commonly used expressions.
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to trigger a conflict