backfire
backfire Lexical Profile
backfire Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To produce an unexpected and unwanted result opposite to what was intended (of a plan or action).
"His attempt to shift the blame onto his colleagues backfired when the manager reviewed the email records."
To undergo a mistimed explosion in the cylinder or exhaust pipe (of an engine or motor vehicle).
"The old lawnmower sputtered and backfired loudly before the engine finally died."
To set a controlled fire in order to consume fuel ahead of an advancing wildfire.
"Firefighters decided to backfire along the highway to prevent the wildfire from jumping the road."
• noun
A loud, mistimed explosion in the cylinder or exhaust pipe of an internal combustion engine.
"The sudden backfire from the vintage truck startled everyone on the quiet street."
An unexpected and undesired opposite result from a plan or action.
"The company's aggressive advertising campaign proved to be a costly backfire that alienated loyal customers."
A controlled fire intentionally set along the inner edge of a fireline to consume fuel in the path of an advancing wildfire.
"The forestry crew lit a carefully monitored backfire to halt the spread of the blaze across the ridge."
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in early 19th-century American English, originally referring to a controlled fire set by pioneers and firefighters to burn off brush ahead of an advancing wildfire. In the late 19th century, the term was applied to premature combustion in internal combustion engines, which soon gave rise to the figurative sense of a plan producing an unintended, adverse result.