pressure cooker

Definitions

1. A sealed cooking vessel that allows cooking in greater than atmospheric pressure and at a temperature above the boiling point of water.
2. A stressful situation that is liable to erupt.
   figuratively

Equivalents

Examples

“Look⟳, I had a pressure cooker of a job along with more responsibility that any one person should have⟳. I had an office of twenty-five people under me all needing help⟳ like⟳ little birds in a nest.”

“Wall Street hopes that economic deprivation will turn⟳ up the pressure cooker on internal relations.”

“Humanity lives in a pressure cooker of stress⟳ because of the ruthless way in which we compete⟳, because of our lack of respect⟳ for the international rules of commerce, because of social conflicts, because of the devastation to the environment.”

CEFR level