back-fire

verb (used without object)

(of an internal-combustion engine) to have a loud, premature explosion in the intake manifold.

to bring a result opposite to that which was planned or expected: The plot backfired.

to start a fire deliberately in order to check a forest or prairie fire by creating a barren area in advance of it.

noun

(in an internal-combustion engine) premature ignition of fuel in the intake manifold.

an explosion coming out of the breech of a firearm.

a fire started intentionally to check the advance of a forest or prairie fire.

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So is zedonk. Does it mean:

a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.

the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.

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Origin:
1775–85, Americanism; back² + fire

Synonyms
2. miscarry, boomerang; flop, bomb, wash out.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To back-fire

Collins

World English Dictionary

backfire (ˌbækˈfaɪə)

—vb
1.	(of an internal-combustion engine) to emit a loud noise as a result of an explosion in the inlet manifold or exhaust system
2.	(of an endeavour, plan, etc) to have an unwanted effect on its perpetrator: his plans backfired on him
3.	to start a controlled fire in order to halt an advancing forest or prairie fire by creating a barren area

—n
4.	in an internal-combustion engine
	a. an explosion of unburnt gases in the exhaust system
	b. a premature explosion in a cylinder or inlet manifold
5.	a controlled fire started to create a barren area that will halt an advancing forest or prairie fire

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

backfire

1839, Amer.Eng., originally "a fire deliberately lit ahead of an advancing prairie fire to deprive it of fuel," from back + fire (v.). As a verb in this sense, recorded from 1886. The meaning "premature ignition in an internal-combustion engine" is

first recorded 1897. Of schemes, plans, etc., "affect the initiator rather than the intended object" it is attested from 1912, a fig. use from the accidental back-firing of firearms.

Slang Dictionary

backfire definition

in.
to release intestinal gas anally and audibly. (Usually objectionable.) : Whew! Somebody backfired!

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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backfire (on (so)) definition

in.
[for a scheme meant to cause harm to someone or something] to harm the person who runs the scheme. : I hope this plan doesn't backfire on me.

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Matching Quote

"Kick up the fire, and let the flames break loose
To drive the shadows back;
Prolong the talk on this or that excuse...."

-Philip Larkin

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back-fire

back·fire

backfire definition

backfire (on (so)) definition