touch paper
noun
paper saturated with potassium nitrate to make it burn slowly, used for igniting explosives and fireworks.
Origin of touch paper
First recorded in 1740–50
Words nearby touch paper
touch down,
touch football,
touch judge,
touch off,
touch on,
touch paper,
touch plate,
touch rugby,
touch screen,
touch system,
touch up
Example sentences from the Web for touchpaper
If a roman candle is intended to be fired singly, twist a piece of touchpaper round the mouth.
The Pyrotechnist's Treasury |Thomas KentishHe then placed the touchpaper on an old cambric handkerchief.
Travels in North America, From Modern Writers |William BingleyAfter lighting the touchpaper, remove to a distance; as bits of string are likely to get driven into the face, on the explosion.
The Pyrotechnist's Treasury |Thomas Kentish
British Dictionary definitions for touchpaper
touchpaper
/ (ˈtʌtʃˌpeɪpə) /
noun
paper soaked in saltpetre and used for firing gunpowder
light the touchpaper or light the blue touchpaper
to do something that will cause much anger or excitement