pressure cooker

or pressure-cooker

noun

1. a reinforced pot, usually of steel or aluminum, in which soups, meats, vegetables, etc., may be cooked quickly in heat above boiling point by steam maintained under pressure.
2. any situation, job, assignment, etc., in which a person is faced with urgent responsibilities or demands by other people, constant deadlines, or a hectic work schedule.

pressure cooker

noun

1. a strong hermetically sealed pot in which food may be cooked quickly under pressure at a temperature above the normal boiling point of water
2. informal.
   a trainee student attending a shortened qualifying course

Word History and Origins

Origin of pressure cooker¹

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

But it often seemed like the group's fame felt like a pressure cooker for a young Payne.

From Salon

“It’s like a pressure cooker, everyone’s just one small incident away from having a complete meltdown and saying ‘I can’t cope anymore’.”

From BBC

After the war, he was known to drive around the state with a pressure cooker in the back of his sedan so he could demonstrate the merits of brown rice on demand.

From Los Angeles Times

When you put those two things together, you can see why it might result in a pressure cooker environment.

From BBC

Joe Biden's campaign has been thrust into a pressure cooker of doubt, as panic and worry about his election chances pour in from the highest levels of the Democratic party.

From BBC