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backfire

 [bak-fahyuhr]   Origin

back·fire

   [bak-fahyuhr] verb, back·fired, back·fir·ing, noun
verb (used without object)
1.
(of an internal-combustion engine) to have a loud, premature explosion in the intake manifold.
2.
to bring a result opposite to that which was planned or expected: The plot backfired.
3.
to start a fire deliberately in order to check a forest or prairie fire by creating a barren area in advance of it.
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noun
4.
(in an internal-combustion engine) premature ignition of fuel in the intake manifold.
5.
an explosion coming out of the breech of a firearm.
6.
a fire started intentionally to check the advance of a forest or prairie fire.

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Backfire is one of our favorite verbs.
So is peculate. Does it mean:
to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle.
to spend time idly; loaf.
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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. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To backfire
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
EXPAND
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.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

backfire definition


  1. 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.
Cite This Source

backfire (on (so)) definition


  1. 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.
Cite This Source
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