backfire
noun
Backfire — a plan or calculation that recoils harmfully on its own maker
Definition
A miscalculation that recoils on its maker
In depth
A backfire is a miscalculation that recoils on its maker, an action or strategy intended to produce one outcome that instead produces the opposite, harming the very person who devised it. The word carries inherent irony, the satisfying or tragic reversal of a scheme that turns against its own architect.
Origin
The word originates from the literal mechanical sense of an engine's premature or unintended ignition, exploding backward through the intake rather than properly powering the engine forward. That image of an explosion misdirected back toward its own source translates vividly into the figurative sense, a plan whose destructive energy turns back upon its originator rather than its intended target.
Usage examples
"Her attempt to discredit the rival backfired spectacularly, generating sympathy that only strengthened his position."
"The marketing campaign backfired badly, alienating exactly the audience it had hoped to win over."
"He had not anticipated how thoroughly the lie would eventually backfire, costing him far more than the truth ever would have."
How to use it
Backfire is widely used, accessible vocabulary suiting nearly any narrative or analytical context describing a plan that produces its own undoing, particularly effective for emphasizing dramatic irony or unintended consequence.
Related concepts
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