Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Play ·120 of 348
"Hoisted on his own petard."
They never said that.
What people say
"Hoisted on his own petard."
What was actually said
"For 'tis the sport to have the enginer / Hoist with his own petar." Hamlet — Hamlet (1600) III.iv
Why it stuck
Shakespeare wrote "hoist" (past participle of "to hoise") and "petar" (a small bomb). Modern "hoisted by" and "petard" are spelling updates — but "on his own" is a preposition error that changes the meaning from "by" (agent) to "on" (location).
"Petar" was a 16th-century siege device. It often killed its own engineer — which is the whole joke.
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.