hoist on one's own petard
Trapped by scheme
To be hoist on one's own petard is to be harmed by your own scheme or weapon.
A petard was a small bomb used to blow open gates; if it detonated prematurely, the engineer was "hoisted" (blown up) by his own device.
The phrase describes poetic justice—a plotter undone by the very trap they set: The lobbyist who pushed for the loophole was hoist on his own petard when rivals exploited it against him.
- backfireYield unintended consequences
- blow up in one's faceAttempt fails catastrophically on initiator
- HamletDanish prince's revenge tragedy
- poetic justiceFitting outcome matching misdeeds
- just dessertsEarned fair outcome
bomb · explosive device · self-sabotage · comeuppance · boomerang effect · miscalculation · biting off more than one can chew · ironic twist · shooting oneself in the foot · irony · reversal of fortune · classical literature · Greek tragedy · grenade · metaphorical language · hubris · fall on one's sword · mine
hoist on one's own petardstabbed in the back
Treacherously harmed by trusted person
betrayed · ambushed · blindsided · collateral damage · wronged
hoist on one's own petardget away with it
pull it off · have the last laugh · come out on top · play one's cards right · outfox
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