"For 'tis the sport to have the engineer
Hoist with his own petar."

William Shakespeare -- Hamlet -- Act III, scene iv, line 206

Not "PETARD" and not "HOISTED" -- in this famous quotation.

Prosecutio stultitiae est gravis vexatio, executio stultitiae coronat opus.

This faux engineer, Gordon, chooses to hide behind just a first name.

'Nuff Said.

D. Spencer Hines
Lux et Veritas et Libertas
Vires et Honor
Veni, Vidi, Calcitravi Asinum

Gordon wrote:

"D. Spencer Hines" wrote in message
...

You need to take a close look at William Shakespeare's _Hamlet_.

When you have done that come back for further basic instruction.

Unfortunately Shakespeare was not a Royal Engineer. A Petard, with a "D"
is an explosive charge that is fixed halfway up the gate of a fortified
enclosure in order to blow a hole in it.

People who got hung up with it were killed. Hence the phrase "hoisted
with his own petard". [sic]

Shakespeare made no "spelling error".

There WAS NO standardized spelling in Shakespeare's day.

Here's the entire OED entry:

petard, n.


(pI"tA;d, pI"tA;(r)) Also 7 petar, -arr(e, -arh, -arde, -arra, patar, pettar, pittar, -ard. [a. F. pétard, †-art, pl. -ars (1580 in Littré) (= It. petardo (Florio 1598); obs. Sp. petar ‘a kinde of Artillery to batter, lately invented’ (Minsheu 1599), mod.Sp. petardo), f. péter to break wind, f. pet: see pet n.3 and -ard.]

1. A small engine of war used to blow in a door or gate, or to make a breach in a wall, etc.; originally of metal and bell-shaped, later a cubical wooden box, charged with powder, and fired by a fuse. (Now Hist.)

1598 Florio, Petardo, a squib or petard of gun powder vsed to burst vp gates or doores with. 1604 Shakes. Ham. iii. iv. 207 (2nd Quarto) For tis the sport to haue the enginer Hoist with his owne petar. 1609 B. Jonson Sil. Wom. iv. v, He has made a petarde of an old brasse pot, to force your dore. 1611 Cotgr., Petart, a Petard, or Petarre; an Engine (made like a Bell, or Morter) wherewith strong gates are burst open. 1614 Camden Rem. (ed. 2) 241 Petronils, Pistoll, Dagge, &c. and Petarras of the same brood lately inuented. 1627 Drayton Agincourt xxxviii, The Engineer providing the Petar [rimes are, far] To breake the strong Percullice. 1637–50 Row Hist. Kirk (Wodrow Soc.) 511 The noblemen, with a pittard brake up the utter gate of the Castle of Edinburgh. 1670 Cotton Espernon Table, Montereau Faut-Yonne taken by Petarr. 1721 De Foe Mem. Cavalier (1840) 113 By the help of a petard, we broke open the gate. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. iii. I. 322 A third had defended his old house till Fairfax had blown in the door with a petard.

------------------------------------------------------

Both PETAR and PETARD are quite acceptable.

PETARD derives from the French and PETAR derives from the Spanish. Vide supra.

However Shakespeare used PETAR.

And, of course, he was aware of the humorous undertones -- with the alternate meaning -- *ART.

Pogue Gordon ignorantly leaped in and insisted PETAR was WRONG.

Thereby committing...

EGREGIOUS PRATFALL.

KAWHOMP!!!

-----------------------------------------

And it's WITH his/her own PETAR...

NOT BY or ON his/her own PETAR.

Ergo...

To Repeat...

Diane Poremsky was...

Hoist with her own petar.

Deeeeeelightful!

How Sweet It Is!
--
D. Spencer Hines
Lux et Veritas et Libertas
Vires et Honor
Veni, Vidi, Calcitravi Asinum

"— hoist with one's own petard or hoist by one's own petard : victimized or
hurt by one's own scheme" is current American usage by Merriam-Webster's.
Html and bright colours are the ultimate recourse of the incompetent.

Cheers,

Earle

"D. Spencer Hines" wrote in message
.. .
Shakespeare made no "spelling error".

There WAS NO standardized spelling in Shakespeare's day.

Here's the entire OED entry:

petard, n.


(pI"tA;d, pI"tA;(r)) Also 7 petar, -arr(e, -arh, -arde, -arra, patar,
pettar, pittar, -ard. [a. F. pétard, †-art, pl. -ars (1580 in Littré) (=
It. petardo (Florio 1598); obs. Sp. petar ‘a kinde of Artillery to batter,
lately invented’ (Minsheu 1599), mod.Sp. petardo), f. péter to break wind,
f. pet: see pet n.3 and -ard.]
1. A small engine of war used to blow in a door or gate, or to make a
breach in a wall, etc.; originally of metal and bell-shaped, later a cubical
wooden box, charged with powder, and fired by a fuse. (Now Hist.)
1598 Florio, Petardo, a squib or petard of gun powder vsed to burst vp
gates or doores with. 1604 Shakes. Ham. iii. iv. 207 (2nd Quarto) For tis
the sport to haue the enginer Hoist with his owne petar. 1609 B. Jonson
Sil. Wom. iv. v, He has made a petarde of an old brasse pot, to force your
dore. 1611 Cotgr., Petart, a Petard, or Petarre; an Engine (made like a
Bell, or Morter) wherewith strong gates are burst open. 1614 Camden Rem.
(ed. 2) 241 Petronils, Pistoll, Dagge, &c. and Petarras of the same brood
lately inuented. 1627 Drayton Agincourt xxxviii, The Engineer providing the
Petar [rimes are, far] To breake the strong Percullice. 1637–50 Row Hist.
Kirk (Wodrow Soc.) 511 The noblemen, with a pittard brake up the utter gate
of the Castle of Edinburgh. 1670 Cotton Espernon Table, Montereau
Faut-Yonne taken by Petarr. 1721 De Foe Mem. Cavalier (1840) 113 By the
help of a petard, we broke open the gate. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. iii. I.
322 A third had defended his old house till Fairfax had blown in the door
with a petard.
------------------------------------------------------
Both PETAR and PETARD are quite acceptable.
PETARD derives from the French and PETAR derives from the Spanish. Vide
supra.
However Shakespeare used PETAR.
And, of course, he was aware of the humorous undertones -- with the
alternate meaning -- *ART.
Pogue Gordon ignorantly leaped in and insisted PETAR was WRONG.
Thereby committing...
EGREGIOUS PRATFALL.
KAWHOMP!!!
-----------------------------------------
And it's WITH his/her own PETAR...
NOT BY or ON his/her own PETAR.
Ergo...
To Repeat...
Diane Poremsky was...
Hoist with her own petar.
Deeeeeelightful!
How Sweet It Is!
--
D. Spencer Hines
Lux et Veritas et Libertas
Vires et Honor
Veni, Vidi, Calcitravi Asinum

On Sat, 7 Feb 2009 15:13:19 -0700, "Earle Horton"
wrote:

"? hoist with one's own petard or hoist by one's own petard : victimized or
hurt by one's own scheme" is current American usage by Merriam-Webster's.
Html and bright colours are the ultimate recourse of the incompetent.

In addition, the troll who mostly posts as D Spencer Hines but
sometimes as Julia294 always misquotes Shakespeare here. He/She
insists on using the spelling "petar" but ignores the fact that
Shakespeare used the spelling "enginer" in the same phrase.

And his combination of "like" and "ilk" in the subject header
reeks of pure ignorance of the English language.

James

"James Hogg" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 7 Feb 2009 15:13:19 -0700, "Earle Horton"
wrote:

"? hoist with one's own petard or hoist by one's own petard : victimized
or
hurt by one's own scheme" is current American usage by Merriam-Webster's.
Html and bright colours are the ultimate recourse of the incompetent.

In addition, the troll who mostly posts as D Spencer Hines but
sometimes as Julia294 always misquotes Shakespeare here. He/She
insists on using the spelling "petar" but ignores the fact that
Shakespeare used the spelling "enginer" in the same phrase.

And his combination of "like" and "ilk" in the subject header
reeks of pure ignorance of the English language.

Thanks, duly noted and plonked for all time.

Cheers,

Earle