1.
time bomb
a bomb designed to explode at a preset time
時限爆弾が発見された。
A time bomb was discovered.
警察は時限爆弾を爆発前に処理した。
The police disposed of the time bomb before it exploded.
映画では、主人公が残り三十秒で時限爆弾を解除するシーンが定番だ。
In movies, it's a classic scene where the protagonist disarms the time bomb with thirty seconds left.
2.
time bomb (figurative); ticking time bomb
a situation, problem, or condition that is expected to cause serious trouble at some point in the future
少子高齢化は社会保障にとって時限爆弾だ。
The declining birthrate and aging population is a time bomb for social security.
老朽化したインフラは時限爆弾のようなものだ。
Aging infrastructure is like a ticking time bomb.
専門家は、放置された空き家の問題を「地域の時限爆弾」と呼んでいる。
Experts are calling the problem of abandoned houses a 'ticking time bomb for local communities.'
Composed of 時限 (time limit; timed) + 爆弾 (bomb). In the literal sense, it refers to an explosive device with a timer. The figurative sense is widely used in news, commentary, and everyday conversation to describe looming crises.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 時限爆弾を仕掛ける: to plant a time bomb
- 時限爆弾を解除する: to defuse a time bomb
- 時限爆弾を処理する: to dispose of a time bomb
- 時限爆弾を抱える: to carry a time bomb (figurative: to have a looming problem)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 爆弾: bomb — general term for any explosive device
- 地雷: landmine — also used figuratively for hidden dangers or social taboos
- 不発弾: unexploded ordnance — a bomb that failed to detonate