hoist
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hoist by/with (one's) own petard
To be injured, ruined, or defeated by one's own action, device, or plot that was intended to harm another; to have fallen victim to one's own trap or schemes. (Note: "hoist" in this instance is the simple past-tense of the archaic form of the verb, "hoise.") I tried to get my boss fired by planting drugs on him, but I was hoist by my own petard when the police caught me with them beforehand.
hoist a/the white flag
To offer a sign of surrender or defeat; to yield or give in. After the prosecutors brought forward their newest evidence, the defendant hoisted the white flag and agreed to the plea bargain. We've been in negotiations for weeks, but it looks like the other company might finally be ready to hoist a white flag.
hoist the blue peter
To leave or prepare to leave. This nautical term refers to the blue and white flag that sailors would hoist before departing from a location. Hoist the blue peter, gentleman, so we can set sail!
be hoist by (one's) own petard
To be injured, ruined, or defeated by one's own action, device, or plot that was intended to harm another; to have fallen victim to one's own trap or schemes. ("Hoist" in this instance is the simple past-tense of the archaic form of the verb, "hoise.") I tried to get my boss fired by planting drugs on him, but I was hoist by my own petard when the police caught me with them beforehand.
hoist a few
To have multiple alcoholic drinks. Nothing helps me unwind after a long week of working like hoisting a few with some good friends.
fish something up out of something
and fish something upto pull or hoist something out of something, especially after searching or reaching for it. The old shopkeeper fished a huge pickle up out of the barrel. He fished up a huge pickle.
hoist with one's own petard
Fig. to be harmed or disadvantaged by an action of one's own which was meant to harm someone else. (From a line in Shakespeare's Hamlet.) She intended to murder her brother but was hoist with her own petard when she ate the poisoned food intended for him. The vandals were hoist with their own petard when they tried to make an emergency call from the pay phone they had broken.
Hoist your sail when the wind is fair.
Prov. Begin a project when circumstances are the most favorable. Don't ask your mother for permission now; she's in a bad mood. Hoist your sail when the wind is fair. Wait until the economy has stabilized before trying to start your own business. Hoist your sail when the wind is fair.
white flag, show the
Also, hang out or hoist the white flag . Surrender, yield, as in Our opponents held all the cards tonight, so we showed the white flag and left early. This expression alludes to the white flag indicating a surrender in battle, a custom apparently dating from Roman times and adopted as an international symbol of surrender or truce. [Late 1600s]
hoist by your own petard
orhoist with your own petard
FORMALIf someone is hoist by their own petard or is hoist with their own petard, something they do to get an advantage or to harm someone else results in harm to themselves. You should stop spreading stories about your opponents or, sooner or later, you will be hoist with your own petard. Note: `Petards' were metal balls filled with gunpowder which were used to blow up walls or gates. The gunpowder was lit by a slow-burning fuse, but there was always a danger that the device would explode too soon and `hoist' the person lighting it, that is, blow them up in the air.
hoist with (or by) your own petard
have your plans to cause trouble for others backfire on you.The phrase is from Shakespeare's Hamlet: ‘For 'tis the sport to have the enginer Hoist with his own petard’. In former times, a petard was a small bomb made of a metal or wooden box filled with explosive powder, while hoist here is the past participle of the dialect verb hoise , meaning ‘lift or remove’.
be hoist/hoisted by/with your own peˈtard
(British English) be caught in the trap that you were preparing for another personThis is from Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. A petard was a small bomb.hoist one
tv. to have a drink. Let’s go out and hoist one sometime.
be hoist with one's own petard
To be undone by one's own schemes.
hoist with one's own petard
Caught in one’s own trap, defeated by one’s own weapons. The term alludes to an ancient weapon, a thick iron canister filled with gunpowder, which was fastened to a gate or other barrier in order to breach it. It was a dangerous weapon, because the engineer who set it off could easily be blown up (“hoist”) when it detonated. Shakespeare was among the first to transfer the term, in Hamlet (3.4): “Let it work; for ’tis the sport to have the enginer hoist with his own petar.”
hoist by your own petard
Hurt by your own misdeed. A petard was a medieval bomb made of a container of gunpowder with a fuse, and to blow open gates during sieges against towns and fortresses. Unreliable, petards often exploded prematurely and sent the person who lit the fuse aloft (the “hoist” image) in one or more pieces. The phrase, which is often misquoted as “hoist on one's own petard,” comes from Hamlet:
For 'tis the sport to have the engineer
Hoist with his own petard; and ‘t shall go hard
But I will delve one yard below their mines
And blow them at the moon . . .