# Petard **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [November 6, 2003, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petard/211720 "2003-11-06T16:57:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kapntoad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@kapntoad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kapntoad)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2003, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petard/211720/1 "2003-11-06T16:57:33Z")
I’m surprised that none of the articles I’ve read on Le Petomaine mentioned that his name apparently translated to “The Fartist”. [What does it mean to be hoisted on your own petard?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_295b.html) ---
**Author:** ![benw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/benw/32/21619_2.png) [@benw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/benw)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2003, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petard/211720/2 "2003-11-06T18:17:40Z")
What _did_ they call him, then? Cecil accuses Rosencrantz and Guildenstern of plotting to kill Hamlet. As far as I remember, they were patsies for Claudies; they had no idea that the original orders they carried were for Hamlet’s death. ---
**Author:** ![benw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/benw/32/21619_2.png) [@benw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/benw)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2003, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petard/211720/3 "2003-11-06T18:23:22Z")
What _did_ they call him, then? Cecil accuses Rosencrantz and Guildenstern of plotting to kill Hamlet. As far as I remember, they were patsies for Claudies; they had no idea that the original orders they carried were for Hamlet’s death. ---
**Author:** ![benw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/benw/32/21619_2.png) [@benw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/benw)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2003, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petard/211720/4 "2003-11-06T18:23:22Z")
What _did_ they call him, then? Cecil accuses Rosencrantz and Guildenstern of plotting to kill Hamlet. As far as I remember, they were patsies for Claudies; they had no idea that the original orders they carried were for Hamlet’s death. ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2003, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petard/211720/5 "2003-11-06T18:57:38Z")
Oooh, triple post! Hamster hiccups, do you suppose? ---
**Author:** ![swansont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5fc32e/32.png) [@swansont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swansont)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2003, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petard/211720/6 "2003-11-06T20:55:35Z")
Medieval term. A petard was an explosive charge carried by a sapper (engineer) trying to blow a hole in or under a castle wall. If the charge went off while he was still carrying it, he would be hoisted in the air, and presumably killed. So it means to be damaged by ones own actions. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2003, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petard/211720/7 "2003-11-06T22:25:29Z")
Welcome to the Straight Dope Message Boards, **benw** , glad to have you with us. As you have noticed, almost every time you hit SUBMIT, your post is submitted. Sometimes the system is a bit slow (ha! “sometimes” is the understatement of the week) but don’t get frustrated when you’re submitting a post. If you hit the SUBMIT button multiple times, more often than not you’re submitting multiple copies of the same post. So, your first post wins you the public embarrassment of the “ohmigod, I posted it three times” award. No biggie, it’s happened to all of us. And, **swansont,** if you’d read the column that Cecil wrote, you wouldn’t have to repeat what he said. This forum isn’t for general questions, but for comments on what Cecil has already answered. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2003, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petard/211720/8 "2003-11-07T17:44:26Z")
And speaking of columns that Cecil wrote, he’s also written about [Le Petomane](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_394.html), the Fartiste. ---
**Author:** ![jdbeatty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@jdbeatty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jdbeatty)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petard/211720/9 "2003-11-11T12:43:24Z")
Also had to do with the poor state of fusemaking when petards were in fashion. Inconsistent burn rates often resulted in premature firing of the charge (and without matches lighting the fuse at the target site was impractical.