jupitersterrain four

touchpaper [ˈtʌtʃˌpeɪpə]
n
1. (Military / Firearms, Gunnery, Ordnance & Artillery) paper soaked in saltpetre and used for firing gunpowder
light the (blue) touchpaper to do something that will cause much anger or excitement

Christmas crackers, bon-bons, are part of Christmas celebrations primarily in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Commonwealth countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. A cracker consists of a cardboard tube wrapped in a brightly decorated twist of paper,making it resemble an oversized sweet-wrapper. The cracker is pulled by two people, often with arms crossed, and, much in the manner of a wishbone, the cracker splits unevenly. The split is accompanied by a mild bang or snapping sound produced by the effect of friction on a shock-sensitive, chemically-impregnated card strip (similar to that used in a cap gun). One chemical used for the friction strip is silver fulminate, which is highly unstable