backfire

backfire
a) (Of a gun or cannon) to fire in the opposite direction, for example due to an obstruction in the barrel.

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

b) To fail in a manner that brings down further misfortune.

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  • Backfire — may refer to:*The NATO reporting name for the Russian Tupolev Tu 22M aircraft. *A backfire, the deliberate use of fire in wildfire suppression. Also known as a Back burn ( See also: Glossary of wildland fire terms .) *A back fire in an automobile …   Wikipedia

  • Backfire — (englisch für: Auspuffknall, Fehlzündung, sowie metaphor. Schuss, der nach hinten losgeht) steht für: des Flugzeug Tupolew Tu 22M, das den NATO Codename Backfire hat den Film Final Night – Die letzte Nacht (Originalname: Backfire) die… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Backfire —   [ bækfaɪə ; englisch »Gegenfeuer«] die, , NATO Bezeichnung für den Mittelstreckenbomber Tu 22 M der ehemaligen sowjetischen Streitkräfte, der zu den nuklearstrategischen Systemen (Kernwaffen) gehört; Erstflug vermutlich 1969, Serienproduktion… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • backfire — [bak′fīr΄] n. ☆ 1. a fire started to stop an advancing prairie fire or forest fire by creating a burned area in its path 2. a premature ignition of fuel or an explosion of unburned exhaust gases in an internal combustion engine, sometimes… …   English World dictionary

  • Backfire — Back fire Back fire Back fire , v. i. 1. (Engin.) To have or experience a back fire or back fires; said of an internal combustion engine. [Webster 1913 Suppl.] 2. Of a Bunsen or similar air fed burner, to light so that the flame proceeds from the …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • backfire — ackfire, back fire ack fire 1. A fire started ahead of a forest or prairie fire to burn only against the wind, so that when the two fires meet both must go out for lack of fuel. [Webster 1913 Suppl.] 2. (a) A premature explosion in the cylinder …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Backfire — Backfire. См. Обратный удар пламени. (Источник: «Металлы и сплавы. Справочник.» Под редакцией Ю.П. Солнцева; НПО Профессионал , НПО Мир и семья ; Санкт Петербург, 2003 г.) …   Словарь металлургических терминов

  • backfire — index reaction (opposition), repercussion Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • backfire — (n.) 1839, Amer.Eng., originally a fire deliberately lit ahead of an advancing prairie fire to deprive it of fuel, from BACK (Cf. back) (adj.) + FIRE (Cf. fire) (n.). As a verb in this sense, recorded from 1886. The meaning premature ignition in… …   Etymology dictionary

  • backfire — [v] have an opposite effect backlash, boomerang, bounce back, disappoint, fail, flop, miscarry, rebound, recoil, ricochet, spring back; concepts 42,701 …   New thesaurus

  • backfire — ► VERB 1) (of a vehicle or its engine) undergo a mistimed explosion in the cylinder or exhaust. 2) (of a plan or action) go wrong, having the opposite effect to what was intended …   English terms dictionary

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