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erinmckean commented on the word athelemic
New Scientist used this term to refer to "metaphors without foundation" (e.g. "hoist with his own petard"). 17 May 2014
April 22, 2017
qms commented on the word athelemic
This leaves me scratching my head. An "engineer hoist with his own petard" (from Hamlet) is a bomb-layer blown up by his own device. How is this without foundation? It seems to me a fruitful metaphor. In fact, the “See also” list at the end of this expression’s Wikipedia entry is full of possibilities:
Own goal
Poetic justice
Irony
List of inventors killed by their own inventions
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoist_with_his_own_petard
April 22, 2017