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petard Definition

pe·tard (pi tärd′)

noun

  1. a metal cone filled with explosives, fastened in ancient warfare to walls and gates and exploded to force an opening
  2. a kind of firecracker

Etymology: Fr pétard < péter, to break wind < pet, fart < L peditum < peditus, pp. of pedere, to break wind < IE base *pezd-, of echoic orig.

petard Idioms

hoist with one's own petard

destroyed by the very devices with which one meant to destroy others: cf. Hamlet, III, iv

petard Synonyms

petard

n.

firecracker, explosive, squib; see fireworks.

hoist with one's own petard

caught in one's own trap, too smart for one's own good, tangled in one's own web.

petard Usage Examples

Adjective modifier

  • own: Once the word is known, ' hoist by your own petard ' is easy to fathom.

Browse dictionary entries near petard

  1. ‹ petalous
  2. ‹ petaloid
  3. ‹ petalody
  4. ‹ -petal
  5. ‹ petal
  6. ‹ Petah Tiqwa
  7. ‹ peta-
  8. ‹ PET scan
  9. ‹ Petöfi
  10. ‹ pet
  1. petasos ›
  2. petcock ›
  3. petechia ›
  4. peter ›
  5. peter out ›
  6. Peter Pan ›
  7. Peter Pan collar ›
  8. Peter Principle ›
  9. Peter's pence ›
  10. Peterborough ›