self-destruct

[self-di-struhkt] Origin

self-de·struct

[self-di-struhkt]
verb (used without object)
1.
to destroy itself or oneself: The missile is built so that a malfunction will cause it to self-destruct.
2.
to cause itself or oneself to reach a state of collapse, dysfunction, confusion, or the like: The committee is so disorganized it will probably self-destruct before it can accomplish anything.
adjective
3.
causing something to self-destruct: a self-destruct mechanism.

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Self-destruct is one of our favorite verbs.
So is subtilize. Does it mean:
to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about.
to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle.

Origin:
1965–70, Americanism
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
self-destruct
 
vb
1.  (intr) to explode or disintegrate automatically as a result of pre-programming: the missile self-destructed
2.  to destroy oneself, one's reputation, etc, through one's habits or actions: I totally self-destructed with drugs
 
n
3.  (as modifier): hit the self-destruct button

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

self-destruct
as a verb, in ref. to things, "to destroy itself automatically," from self + destruct, apparently first attested in the U.S. TV series "Mission Impossible" (1966). Self-destructive is recorded from 1654, and self-destruction "suicide" is attested from 1586.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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