hoist by petard
noun
Idioms 1.
an explosive device formerly used in warfare to blow in a door or gate, form a breach in a wall, etc.
2.
a kind of firecracker.
3.
( initial capital letter ) . Also called Flying Dustbin. a British spigot mortar of World War II that fired a 40-pound (18 kg) finned bomb, designed to destroy pillboxes and other concrete obstacles.
4.
hoist by/with one's own petard, hurt, ruined, or destroyed by the very device or plot one had intended for another.
Origin:
1590–1600; < Middle French, equivalent to pet(er) to break wind (derivative of pet < Latin pēditum a breaking wind, orig. neuter of past participle of pēdere to break wind) + -ard -ard
1590–1600; < Middle French, equivalent to pet(er) to break wind (derivative of pet < Latin pēditum a breaking wind, orig. neuter of past participle of pēdere to break wind) + -ard -ard
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To hoist by petard
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Hoist by petard
is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
petard (pɪˈtɑːd) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | (formerly) a device containing explosives used to breach a wall, doors, etc |
| 2. | hoist with one's own petard being the victim of one's own schemes |
| 3. | a type of explosive firework |
| [C16: from French: firework, from péter to break wind, from Latin pēdere] | |
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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
petard
1598, "small bomb used to blow in doors and breach walls," from Fr. pétard (1580), from M.Fr. péter "break wind," from O.Fr. pet "a fart," from L. peditum, properly neut. pp. of pedere "to break wind" (in M.L. pettus). Surviving in phrase hoist with one's own petard (or some variant) "blown
up with one's own bomb," which is ult. from Shakespeare (1605):
"For tis the sport to haue the enginer Hoist with his owne petar" ("Hamlet" III.iv.207).See hoist.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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