tindery

The dry tindery grass caught fire quickly.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Easily ignited or flammable: "tindery" describes something that is highly susceptible to catching fire, like tinder. It refers to materials that are dry, brittle, or otherwise prone to burning quickly when exposed to a flame or spark.

Usage Examples

• (The ground was covered with dry leaves and twigs that could easily catch fire.)
• (The buildings were constructed from flammable materials that burned readily.)

Advanced Usage

• "tindery condition": a state of being dry and highly flammable.

  • The tindery condition of the barn warned the farmer to store hay carefully. (The barn's contents were so dry they could ignite easily.)

• "tindery substance": any material that acts like tinder.

  • The chemist noted that the powder was a tindery substance, requiring careful handling. (The powder was flammable and could catch fire with minimal heat.)

Variants and Related Words

• Tinder (n): dry, flammable material used to start a fire.

  • He gathered tinder to build a campfire. (He collected dry leaves and small sticks to ignite the fire.)

• Tinder-dry (adj): extremely dry, like tinder.

  • The grass was tinder-dry after the long summer. (The grass was so dry it could burn easily.)

Synonyms

• Flammable: capable of being easily set on fire.
• Combustible: able to catch fire and burn readily.
• Ignitable: capable of being ignited.

Related Idioms

• "tinder for the fire": something that fuels or intensifies a situation (often metaphorical).
  • His angry words were tinder for the fire of their argument. (His words made the conflict worse.)

Phrasal Verbs

(No common phrasal verbs directly associated with "tindery"; the word is primarily used as an adjective.)