The Republicans’ Petard
An etymological review of the familiar phrase, “hoisted with his own
petard,” yields some rich contemporary applications. A petard was a
somewhat crude, sixteenth century, gunpowder-fed artillery device used
to blow a hole in a castle gate during battle. Sadly, it often blew up
those who ignited it, hence, the expression that generally has come to
mean “to suffer harm from a plan by which you had intended to harm
someone else” (Cambridge Dictionary). Linguists note the similarity of
“petard” with the French “péter”—to fart.
The biblical "they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the
whirlwind" and the recent “what goes around comes around” also remind us
that the Republicans’ current agonies over stalled attempts to repeal
the Affordable Care Act are thoroughly earned. Having exploited the
political utility of Obamacare opposition for seven years, the GOP now
finds that power has blown up in its face.
We all have suffered, though, from the noxious fumes of their legislative assault.
Publishing history
NP Times 7/27
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