Tonda Eckert

[Polaroid Saint]

On 28/06/2026 at 21:41, Zorba said:

Petard~from the middle French word pétard, homorously derives from péter—meaning “to break wind” or fart.

Who knew Peter meant that?

anyway …we fell on our own fart!

 

 

 

On 28/06/2026 at 22:41, Whitey Grandad said:

"Hoist with his own petard" is a quote from Hamlet. In this instance a Petard is a small explosive device, a type of bomb. The name ultimately derives from the French for fart, as you have said.

It's classic Shakespeare innit? Bawdy word play hidden in an otherwise serious speech. I bet he guffawed to himself when he wrote that. Bill loved his fart jokes, (and willy, fanny, bum and even 'Yo Mamma' jokes), but Hamlet really does mean, in the context of the play 'small bomb' (as he plots revenge on Claudius) and he means 'hoisted' in the sense of to get blown UP...

...See, Shakespeare also understood the physics of explosive devices and they blow you up and away ('hoist'). 

Hence my questioning the phrase as written by Egg; by falling on our own petard, I wondered if he was suggesting some act of self sacrifice, where we purposely jump on the bomb we laid. Perhaps not, but, as a wannabe cunning linguist myself, I immediately wondered if it was a purposeful bit of idiom blending - or, as they are otherwise known, an "eggcorn".

 

*Thanks for your consideration and time in this matter.*