idioms | Page 2

What Does It Mean To Be “Hoist with One’s Own Petard”?

I read this sentence recently in an editorial on Obamacare: “…Obama then finds himself hoist by his own petard.”

So, what’s a petard and what does it mean to be hoisted by it?

Another edition of memes highlighting the wackiness of English and English idioms.

Here are two words people often confuse: passed and past. Let’s see if we can clarify the distinction.

A comment on my Facebook page recently stated that I had “perked the interest” of a reader. I can see …