light the (blue) touch paper meaning, light the (blue) touch paper definition | English Cobuild dictionary

Collins

touch paper  

   , touchpaper  
If someone lights the touch paper or lights the blue touch paper, they do something which causes anger or excitement.  
  (BRIT, JOURNALISM)  
light the (blue) touch paper             phrase   V inflects  
This kind of remark is guaranteed to light the blue touch paper with some Labour politicians.     
English Collins Dictionary - English synonyms & Thesaurus  

Collaborative Dictionary     English Cobuild
exp.
tabasser quelqu'un
exp.
¡no toques eso!
exp.
lose contact
n.
act of covering an object, such as a tree, house, or another structure with toilet paper
exp.
expression used to designate something that happens very rarely
n.
to get so focused on the details or intricacies of something that you miss the big picture or the main point
exp.
state securities laws
exp.
shout (as a sign of discontentment or anger)
exp.
caressing someone by touching his/her skin with the eyelashes
n.
brothers of the blue eye
n.
the money of the taxs that we pay to the govermment
exp.
the best, the dog's bollocks , the bee's knees
exp.
the duck's nuts, the best, the dog's bollocks
n.
(Latin for "God wills it") was the cry of the people at the declaration of the First Crusade by Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont in 1095.
exp.
drinking out of a can or a bottle without touching it with the lips, by pouring the content from distance
exp.
(about a positive event/situation) happen out of the blue, without any effort from the impacted persons
n.
a willingness to believe in the absence of sufficient evidence, or contrary to the evidence.
o.
word used to describe the sound made by the wheels of a train
n.
the jargon specific to the Pentagon
exp.
informal term used to describe the flab in the abdominal area rolling over tight clothes
n.
police van in which prisoners are transported from the police stations to the jails
n.
term used to reffer to a person that thinks the end of the world is near
n.
plastic surgery consisting in removing the fat tissue from the abdominal area
n.
A meeting of people who have the same interests, or belong to the same organization
n.
The condition that effects the situation/environment/event etc
exp.
from the outset, from the beginning
id.
expression referring to the belief that those who hold the power are entitled to anything
n.
law of evolution, only the fittest survive, the ones that can adapt
exp.
expression used to describe the practice of a company using internally the marketed products
v.
launch the process, launch the project, make sure that progress is under way


"Collins Cobuild English Dictionary for Advanced Learners 4th edition published in 2003 © HarperCollins Publishers 1987, 1995, 2001, 2003 and Collins A-Z Thesaurus 1st edition first published in 1995 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995"