explode

English translation: out of control (see below)

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:explode
Selected answer:out of control (see below)

09:19 Nov 11, 2020
    The asker opted for community grading. The question was closed on 2020-11-15 03:54:15 based on peer agreement (or, if there were too few peer comments, asker preference.)


English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO]
Bus/Financial - Finance (general) / Lending
English term or phrase: explode
I'm translating the book "The Price of Inequality" by Joseph Stiglitz, and in a chapter about predatory lending, the author wrote:

"In some other states, too, there were attempts to stop predatory lending, and in each of these instances banks used all their political muscle to stop states from enacting laws aimed at curtailing predatory lending. The result, as we know now, was not only massive fraud but also bad lending: too much indebtedness, with financial products that could explode with a change in interest rates or in the broader economic conditions, and indeed many did explode."

What does "explode" mean in this context?

Thank you in advance.
Hoang Yen
Vietnam
Local time: 00:35
out of control (see below)
Explanation:
It means that debt gets to the level that not only is it out of control (causing a massive number of property repossessions) but the lenders (banks) become insolvent and need bailing out by governments
Selected response from:

AllegroTrans
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:35
Grading comment
Thank you so much for your help!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +3out of control (see below)
AllegroTrans
4highly susceptible
Bridgette Mitchell
4(interest rates) increase suddenly and dramatically
Kiet Bach
4To get out of hand or to grow out of proportion.
David Jones
4 -1blow up
airmailrpl


  

Answers


40 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -1
blow up


Explanation:
explode => blow up

airmailrpl
Brazil
Local time: 14:35
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in PortuguesePortuguese
PRO pts in category: 28
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thank you for your help anyway!


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  AllegroTrans: This fails to explain WITHIN CONTEXT
4 hrs
  -> IYO ??
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
out of control (see below)


Explanation:
It means that debt gets to the level that not only is it out of control (causing a massive number of property repossessions) but the lenders (banks) become insolvent and need bailing out by governments

AllegroTrans
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:35
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 24
Grading comment
Thank you so much for your help!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  philgoddard: We're looking for a verb, so "get out of control". The meaning is not very clear, which is surprising for Stiglitz, but I think the idea is "go very wrong".
58 mins
  -> tx

agree  Tina Vonhof (X)
1 hr
  -> tx

agree  Yvonne Gallagher
1 hr
  -> thank you YG!
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
highly susceptible


Explanation:
The financial products are highly susceptible to the interest rates, the explosion could be either a massive increase or decrease in their value. They are very easily affected by the interest rates, which is as much a curse as it is a blessing for the owners of the products.

Bridgette Mitchell
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:35
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thank you for your explanation!


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Tina Vonhof (X): This is a good explanation but doesn't quite capture the meaning of 'explode'.
58 mins

neutral  AllegroTrans: Agree that financial products are highly susceptible to the interest rates, but I think the "expllosion" is probably referring to the banking collapse or at least to things going seriously wrong
1 hr
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8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
(interest rates) increase suddenly and dramatically


Explanation:
There are loans with a fixed rate period (or even zero interest period like the ones that some credit cards offer), and then become variable. When the fixed rate period ends, the interest rate could go up dramatically.

Kiet Bach
United States
Local time: 10:35
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in ChineseChinese
PRO pts in category: 16
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thank you for your help!

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1 day 21 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
To get out of hand or to grow out of proportion.


Explanation:
Literally to get out of hand. To grow out of proportion. When a problem explodes it suddenly becomes much bigger than it was previously.

In this instance it talks about the debt suddenly being unsustainable, the people who are in debt cannot pay it back and therefore will get their houses repossessed (and other such horrible things)

David Jones
Taiwan
Local time: 01:35
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
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