| Front | petard \puh-TAHRD\ |
|---|---|
| Back | noun 1. A case containing an explosive to break down a door or gate or breach a wall. 2. A firework that explodes with a loud report. [Aside from historical references to siege warfare, and occasional contemporary references to fireworks, "petard" is almost always encountered in variations of the phrase "hoist with one's own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." The phrase comes from Shakespeare's Hamlet: "For 'tis the sport to have the enginer / Hoist with his own petar." "Hoist" in this case is the past participle of the verb "hoise," meaning "to lift or raise," and "petar(d)" refers to an explosive device used in siege warfare. Hamlet uses the example of the engineer (the person who sets the explosive device) being blown into the air by his own device as a metaphor for those who schemed against Hamlet being undone by their own schemes. The phrase has endured, even if its literal meaning has largely been forgotten.] "Her attempt to rub salt in the wound had backfired. She had been well and truly hoist by her own petard." - Immodesty Blaize; Ambition; Ebury Press; 2010. "Ned ... heard the petard exploding against the doors of the fort." - Dudley Pope; Corsair; House of Stratus; 1987. |
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