真的會炸的東西
這一族就是核心畫面的字面版：講的是實際會爆炸的物質，以及爆炸本身放出來的力量和聲音。
able to blow up · adjective · C2
Able to blow up, or likely to blow up — said of a gas, a chemical, or another material, often if it gets hot, meets a spark, or is hit hard.
易爆的
核心畫面
A model that works well: something is holding a lot of force inside a small space, and it can let all of that force out at once instead of little by little. Gas in a sealed room, anger in a quiet person, a number on a chart — the picture is the same: pressure stored, then released in a single instant, outward in every direction.
某個東西把很大的力量壓在很小的空間裡，而它有辦法在一瞬間把力量全部放出來，不是慢慢釋放。密閉房間裡的瓦斯是這樣，一個…更多收起
某個東西把很大的力量壓在很小的空間裡，而它有辦法在一瞬間把力量全部放出來，不是慢慢釋放。密閉房間裡的瓦斯是這樣，一個平常安靜的人心裡累積的怒氣是這樣，圖表上突然拉直的數字也是這樣。三件事看起來毫無關係，但畫面完全一樣：先蓄壓，然後在同一個瞬間往四面八方炸開。英文用 explosive 講什麼，就是在說「這東西隨時可能一次全放出來」。From the word’s history
From Latin explōdō — originally ex- "out" + plaudō "to clap", i.e. to drive an actor off the stage by clapping. The modern core keeps the ex-: force going OUT, all at once.
字根來自拉丁文 explōdō，最早的組成是 ex-（向外）加上 plaudō（拍手）——原意是觀眾用鼓掌把演員「轟」下台。有意思的是，現代的意思保留了 ex- 那個「向外」的方向，只是把鼓掌的聲響換成了真正的爆炸。你可以用 ex- 這個前綴當記憶的鉤子：explosive 的力量一定是往外去的。
Wiktionary, entry "explosive" (< Latin explōdō, ex- + plaudō)
Three branches
隨時會炸開的情緒與局面
把核心的「蓄壓—一次放出」整組搬到人身上：壓力累積在一個房間、一場談判、或一個人的胸口，而它同樣可能在一瞬間翻掉。
volatile, likely to erupt · adjective · C2
Likely to turn into a fight, or likely to make people feel very angry — used of a situation or a subject.
一觸即發的
數字上的暴衝
這次爆開的不是力量也不是情緒，而是曲線：本來平緩的數量在很短的時間裡整個往上竄，形狀就像爆炸往外擴散。
explosive, rapid growth · adjective · C2
Growing very fast in amount or number, as if the numbers jump up all at once.
暴增的
原始詞典資料9 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
explosiveadj/ɛkˈspləʊsɪv/
- 1
Able to, or likely to, explode.
- an explosive device
- 2
Having the character of an explosion.
- an explosive fire
- 3
cellular-automatacomputingengineeringHaving the character of an explosion.
- Notes: A rule set that (very probably) results in explosive growth; certainly in area if not population.
- For example, putting a 1 at (0: 1,1) will cause explosive growth in all directions, putting a 1 at (0: 0,2A) will cause pairs of diagonal cells in a 2x2 square to alternate on and off, putting a 1 at (1: 4,4) will cause all solid 1 areas to stay 1 for another cycle, etc.
- 4
Rapidly accelerating.
- Near-synonym: plyometric
- explosive movements
- 5
Shocking; startling.
- an explosive accusation
- 6
slangEasily driven to anger, usually with reference to a person.
- He has an explosive personality.
- 7
archaichuman-scienceslinguisticsphoneticsSynonym of plosive.
- the explosive consonants
explosivenoun/ɛkˈspləʊsɪv/
- 1
Any explosive substance.
- 2
datedhuman-scienceslinguisticssciencesA plosive.
- The words of these songs were either without meaning, or derived from an idiom with which Watt, a very fair linguist, had no acquaintance. The open a sound was predominant, and the explosives k and g.
資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。