flash point
3
7.7
- noun
- /ˈflæʃ pɔɪnt/
:
punto crítico
- The Trout/Cabrera MVP debate became a flash point, hitting perfectly the divide between traditional baseball card stats and new wave metrics.
Examples
-
Success in achieving a regional security arrangement with UN participation could set a precedent for flash points in other areas of the world, such as Asia and Africa, and could contribute to world security.
Academic text (1991) -
The flash point for these tensions is the South China Sea.
Academic text (1996) -
North Korea is another potential flash point.
Academic text (2004) -
Settlements are another potential flash point.
Academic text (1996) -
China is surrounded by about 20 states, and with all of them, there are contentious borders and potential flash points.
Blog text (19) -
The status of Kirkuk remains one of Iraq's major flash points.
Academic text (2007) -
And so, to long-simmering border issues that were already under stress because of China and its neighbors' growth, Beijing inadvertently added a new flash point: economic competition in exports.
Blog text (19) -
The case of Don Siegelman, the Democratic former Governor of Alabama who was convicted last year on corruption charges, has become a flash point in the debate over the politicization of the Bush Administration's Justice Department.
Blog text (9) -
Mountainous, fertile Kashmir became a flash point for India and Pakistan in the years following the partition of the British Raj in 1947, when Muslim-majority areas became part of Pakistan and Hindu areas part of India.
Academic text (2006) -
The protests in the city became a flash point, leading to clashes between demonstrators and police.
Synonyms
∞
3.1
A very dangerous or difficult time when quick decisions are needed
43
5.3
A moment when a small event causes a big, lasting change
11
6.0
A sudden increase in violence, anger, or symptoms
11
5.6
A place where political unrest may lead to violence
10
7.5
A situation where trouble or violence can start suddenly
9
5.3
A moment when people must make an important decision
6
8.3
A place or situation likely to become suddenly violent because of tensions
4
7.5
A moment when a situation changes in an important way
4
4.4
A moment when anger or stress becomes so strong that someone shows it
2
4.9
A moment when an important change happens or people make a key decision
1
6.6
A situation that needs attention right away because it is very serious
Antonyms
How Critical
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a critical or sudden moment when a situation could escalate' is directly built from 'flash' (a very short, sudden instant) + 'point' (a specific moment or stage), so the composite meaning is predictable from the constituents. This compositional pattern is common cross-linguistically (e.g. equivalents like 'punto crítico'/'point de basculement') and a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the idiomatic sense.
Etymology
The phrase flash point paints a simple image: a tense place only needs a small flash or spark at a certain point to start a big fire. That's why it means a moment when a situation could suddenly 'explode' or become very serious.