hoisted by my own petard

== English == === Alternative forms === hoist with one's own petard, hoist on one's own petard, hoisted by one's own petard === Etymology === From the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, see quotations. === Pronunciation === === Adjective === hoist by one's own petard (idiomatic) Hurt or destroyed by one's own plot or device intended for another; "blown up by one's own bomb". ==== Usage notes ==== In the US, the forms in "hoisted" are about as common as the forms in "hoist", in contrast to other usage of the past and past participle, in which "hoisted" is fifteen times more common. Similarly in the UK, "hoisted" is far more common than "hoist" for general use of the verb, but, in this specific idiom, both forms are seen; a writer might be more likely to use "hoisted" when thinking of the hoisting as an event that occurred to the victim, and "hoist" when thinking of it as a state in which the victim finds themselves ("She's been hoisted by..." / "Now she's hoist by..."). ==== Translations ==== === See also ===