backfire

See also: back fire

English

Etymology

From back + fire.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bækˈfaɪə(ɹ)/

Verb

1. (of a gun, cannon, Bunsen burner, etc.) To fire in the opposite direction, for example due to an obstruction in the barrel.
2. (of an engine) To experience a premature ignition of fuel or an ignition of exhaust gases, making a popping sound.
3. To fail in a manner that brings down further misfortune.

   His attempt to make money by importing luxury cars backfired horribly when fuel prices tripled.

Translations

fail

• Dutch: falen (nl), averechts werken
• Finnish: kostautua, epäonnistua (fi), mennä pieleen (fi)
• French: se retourner contre, avoir l’effet inverse
• German: fehlschlagen (de), nach hinten losgehen (de)
• Italian: avere effetto contrario
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: sair pela culatra (pt), sair o tiro pela culatra
• Russian: приводи́ть к обра́тным результа́там impf (privodítʹ k obrátnym rezulʹtátam), привести́ к обра́тным результа́там pf (privestí k obrátnym rezulʹtátam)
• Serbo-Croatian: vratiti se (sh), obiti se o glavu
• Spanish: salir el tiro por la culata, tener el efecto contrario, tener efecto retroactivo, tener contraefecto
• Swedish: slå slint

Noun

backfire (plural backfires)

1. (firefighting) Alternative spelling of back fire
2. A premature explosion in the cylinder of a gas or oil engine during the exhaust or the compression stroke, tending to drive the piston in the wrong direction.
3. An explosion in the exhaust passages of an internal combustion engine.

Synonyms

• (premature explosion in engine cylinder): knock, ping

Derived terms

• backfire effect

Anagrams

• fireback