The busy office turned into a stewpot of stress and tension as the deadline approached.

stewpot 是复合名词，由 stew（炖煮）和 pot（锅）组成。stew 指"炖煮的食物"，pot 指"锅具"。 stewpot 字面意思是"炖锅"，在这里用作比喻，形容办公室像一锅沸腾的炖汤那样充满压力和紧张的气氛。