- The Curious Meaning of the Phrase ‘Hoist with One’s Own Petard’
The OED offers several different senses of this word in its entry for ‘petard’, but the earliest and chief meaning is: ‘A small bomb made of a metal or wooden box filled with powder, used to blow in a door, gate, etc , or to make a hole in a wall ’
- PETARD Definition Meaning - Merriam-Webster
Aside from historical references to siege warfare, and occasional contemporary references to fireworks, petard is almost always encountered in variations of the phrase " hoist with one's own petard," meaning "victimized or hurt by one's own scheme "
- Hoist with his own petard - Wikipedia
Literally, the phrase means a bomb-maker was blown off the ground (hoist) by his own bomb (petard) It commonly refers to an ironic reversal in which one is taken down by one's own scheme
- Petard - definition of petard by The Free Dictionary
Hoist is the past participle of hoise, an earlier form of the verb hoist, "to be lifted up," while a petar or petard is a small bomb used in early modern warfare The phrase "hoist with his own petard" therefore means "to be blown up with his own bomb "
- PETARD | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary
What is the pronunciation of petard? PETARD definition: 1 → hoist 2 → hoist Learn more
- PETARD Definition Meaning | Dictionary. com
Petard definition: an explosive device formerly used in warfare to blow in a door or gate, form a breach in a wall, etc See examples of PETARD used in a sentence
- petard, n. meanings, etymology and more | Oxford English Dictionary
There are four meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun petard, one of which is labelled obsolete See ‘Meaning use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence
- PETARD definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary
3 meanings: 1 (formerly) a device containing explosives used to breach a wall, doors, etc 2 → See hoist with one's own petard Click for more definitions
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