What does hoisted by your own petard means?

Aside from historical references to siege warfare, and occasional contemporary references to fireworks, petard is almost always encountered in variations of the phrase “hoist with one’s own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 William Shakespeare’s Hamlet: “For ’tis the sport …

How does a petard work?

A petard was an Elizabethan explosive mine that was detonated by means of a (normally) slow-burning fuse, used at low level to blow open barricades. Anyone caught in the blast would be literally hurled or hoist into the air, including the person who set the mine if it went off prematurely – i.e. things went wrong.

Who in this scene is hoist with his own petard?

“Hoisted by his own petard” is a phrase that originates in Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, spoken by Hamlet in Act 3, Scene 4.

Where does hoisted on your own petard come from?

“Hoist with his own petard” is a phrase from a speech in William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet that has become proverbial. The phrase’s meaning is literally that a bomb-maker is lifted (“hoist”) off the ground with his own bomb (a “petard” is a small explosive device), and indicates an ironic reversal, or poetic justice.

What does ‘hoist by own petard’ mean?

“Hoist with his own petard” is a phrase from a speech in William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet that has become proverbial. The phrase’s meaning is literally that the bomb-maker (a “petard” is a small explosive device) is blown up (“hoisted” off the ground) with his own bomb, and indicates an ironic reversal or poetic justice.

What is the origin of ‘hoist by your own petard’?

The term hoisted by one’s own petard means to fall foul of your own deceit or fall into your own trap. This term has its origin in medieval times when a military commander would send forward one of his engineers with a cast-iron container full of gunpowder, called a petard, to blow up a castle gate, obstacle, or bridge. The fuses on these bombs were very unreliable, and sometimes the engineers would be killed when the petards exploded prematurely. The explosion would blow (or hoist) the

What is a petard definition?

Definition of petard 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