Meaning

• A cord that, when lit, conveys the fire to some explosive device.

• The mechanism that ignites the charge in an explosive device.

• A device to prevent the overloading of an electrical circuit, containing a component that melts and interrupts the current when too high a load is passed through it.

• Indicating a tendency to lose one's temper.

  "When talking about being laid off, he has a short fuse."

• A friction match for smokers' use, having a bulbous head which when ignited is not easily blown out even in a gale of wind.

• A kind of match made of paper impregnated with niter and having the usual igniting tip.