To be "hoist by [or with] your own petard" is to be blown up by your own bomb. A petard was a medieval engine of war consisting originally of a bell-shaped metal container filled with explosives. It ...

It's fun - and sometimes surprising - to learn the literal meanings of everyday phrases you use. At least it is for Bill Murray and me. Bill, of Palatine, is a very funny guy who spent 40 years on the ...

Why is Christian Science in our name? Our name is about honesty. The Monitor is owned by The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and we’ve always been transparent about that. The church publishes the ...

Hoisted by one’s own petard: to be hurt, or destroyed by one’s own plot or device, of one’s own doing which one intended for another; to be “blown up by one’s own bomb.” Hoisted by one’s own petard: ...

There was no more than a 50 per cent chance that the “shell of shells” – the largest petard ever manufactured in Malta – would be successful, according to fireworks enthusiasts. The much-anticipated ...

Are you familiar with the expression “hoist on their own petard”?It’s a phrase that some writers love to use – probably because it includes a fancy word (“petard”), so people think it makes them sound ...