A petard is also a fart. Shakespeare was talking about someone achieving powered flight through explosive flatulence.
…. at least I assume so. He liked double-meanings like that.
Dwampre Scorrigank
That’s kind of amazing, I hope it’s true. It’s totally plausible to me that such a phrase would be used as a pseudo-dysphemism for farting in common parlance among people familiar with the term and also farting.
Alan
The petard was a 16th century breaching charge, meant to be pushed into a door, gate or weak spot in a wall and blow it open. It derives its name from the French verb “péter”, meaning “to fart” (the noun is “pet”). Today the word “petard” usually refers to a firecracker.
The bomb predates the play by about two decades, so while Shakespeare invented (or popularised) the saying and was probably well aware of the etymology, I’d like to think he’d be more clever than that if he had really wanted to make a farting pun out of it.
Sidenote: The saying originates in Hamlet, which is set in medieval Denmark way before anyone would know what a “petard” is, and is one of many examples of Shakespeare being intentionally anachronistic for the sake of spinning a good yarn for his audience.
Jon
Looking up the line, it appears Hamlet was using the imagery of a battlefield sapper, knowing that Claudius had sent him, Rosencrans, and Guildenstern to England with R&G carrying a letter instructing the English to execute Hamlet. He had escaped from the ship, substituting a letter of his own ordering R&G’s execution, and reversing their plan upon itself.
“There’s letters sealed; and my two schoolfellows,
Whom I will trust as I will adders fanged,
They bear the mandate; they must sweep my way
And marshal me to knavery. Let it work,
For ’tis the sport to have the Engineer
Hoist with his own petard; and ’t shall go hard,
But I will delve one yard below their mines
And blow them at the moon. O, ’tis most sweet
When in one line two crafts directly meet.”
Jon
Arrgh! There was a popup that moved my cursor out of the comment box every time it changed. The bit at the beginning? Change all that past tense to present – the conversation with Gertrude took place before the trip.
It’s not the timing that concerns me. It’s the spacing! Panels 2-4 show that Carla was standing with her legs spread, in a classic action pose. Somehow Charlie moved Carla’s shoes together, and tied the shoelaces, without moving either herself or Carla! Genius level pranksterism!
TECHNICALLY all we can see is that Carla’s upper legs are angled apart. She could have her feet together and she’s just squatting down a little with weird form. As a prank on the readers of the comic, you know, to trick them into exactly this sort of confusion. It’s all very meta.
Untied shoelaces would lead me to believe that was Walky but red shoes also a level of fashion interest above zero so that ain’t him. Who’s the cool person? Style enough to wear bold red sneaks but won’t bother lacing them up. That’s everyone else’s problem.
Can’t help but notice everyone seems to be having a pleasant morning as we move from scene to scene. Hope that isn’t setting us up. Tensions escalating at the protest still looms over all this.
149 thoughts on “Sweet prank”
Ana Chronistic
the petard
it has been hoisted
PedanticJerkass
A petard is a bomb. The petard is not hoisted. The person blown up by their own is the thing that is hoisted.
Risky
The bomb is the tied shoelaces. The shoelaces have been hoisted. Hence, the petard she has been hoisted. Hoisted by your own weapon, pedantry.
Embe13
+1
Pylgrim
Funnily enough, if we replace “shoelaces” with “bootstraps” we arrive to the same meaning, using a different idiom.
Good Gollie, its Miss Mollie
Actually, it’s only called a petard when it’s above ground, otherwise it’s called Magma
Reltzik
A petard is also a fart. Shakespeare was talking about someone achieving powered flight through explosive flatulence.
…. at least I assume so. He liked double-meanings like that.
Dwampre Scorrigank
That’s kind of amazing, I hope it’s true. It’s totally plausible to me that such a phrase would be used as a pseudo-dysphemism for farting in common parlance among people familiar with the term and also farting.
Alan
The petard was a 16th century breaching charge, meant to be pushed into a door, gate or weak spot in a wall and blow it open. It derives its name from the French verb “péter”, meaning “to fart” (the noun is “pet”). Today the word “petard” usually refers to a firecracker.
The bomb predates the play by about two decades, so while Shakespeare invented (or popularised) the saying and was probably well aware of the etymology, I’d like to think he’d be more clever than that if he had really wanted to make a farting pun out of it.
Sidenote: The saying originates in Hamlet, which is set in medieval Denmark way before anyone would know what a “petard” is, and is one of many examples of Shakespeare being intentionally anachronistic for the sake of spinning a good yarn for his audience.
Jon
Looking up the line, it appears Hamlet was using the imagery of a battlefield sapper, knowing that Claudius had sent him, Rosencrans, and Guildenstern to England with R&G carrying a letter instructing the English to execute Hamlet. He had escaped from the ship, substituting a letter of his own ordering R&G’s execution, and reversing their plan upon itself.
“There’s letters sealed; and my two schoolfellows,
Whom I will trust as I will adders fanged,
They bear the mandate; they must sweep my way
And marshal me to knavery. Let it work,
For ’tis the sport to have the Engineer
Hoist with his own petard; and ’t shall go hard,
But I will delve one yard below their mines
And blow them at the moon. O, ’tis most sweet
When in one line two crafts directly meet.”
Jon
Arrgh! There was a popup that moved my cursor out of the comment box every time it changed. The bit at the beginning? Change all that past tense to present – the conversation with Gertrude took place before the trip.
Laura
For some speculation:
https://interestingliterature.com/2020/07/hoist-with-his-own-petard-phrase-origins-meaning/
Needfuldoer
What happen!
Somebody set up us the petard!
We get signal. What!
Main screen turn on! It’s you!
HOW ARE YOU GENTLEMEN
ALL YOUR LACE ARE TIED BY US!
Casi
ALL YOUR LACE LACE
AL YOUR LACE ARE KNOTTED BY US
oontzing intensifies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qItugh-fFgg
Laura
“All your lace are too long for us.”
(So we shorten them by tying them together.)
Amós Batista
off: happy to see you’re back
Taffy
That petard got hoisted so hard
Clif
The circle (of shoelaces) is now compete.
Steamweed
1. It was her own petard.
2. Good to see you again!
Deanatay
The petard, hoisted…ITSELF?? Genius.
Mr. Random
…..WHEN?!?
Dread Pirate Robin
Between panels of course.
IntangibleMatter
Panels 2 and 3, to be exact
Deanatay
It’s not the timing that concerns me. It’s the spacing! Panels 2-4 show that Carla was standing with her legs spread, in a classic action pose. Somehow Charlie moved Carla’s shoes together, and tied the shoelaces, without moving either herself or Carla! Genius level pranksterism!
McNitz
TECHNICALLY all we can see is that Carla’s upper legs are angled apart. She could have her feet together and she’s just squatting down a little with weird form. As a prank on the readers of the comic, you know, to trick them into exactly this sort of confusion. It’s all very meta.
EtchJetty
one day, carla will be wearing a cute clown outfit befitting of her japery. and it will be amazing. this is my DOA 2035 prediction
TheCruisiest
Clown Carla with Ring Leader Charlie would go so hard.
thumb
Or next week in strip time.
jeffepp
Ninja skills learned from Dina.
Longshot97
Take them. Take all the internets.
Sirksome
Charlie has telekinesis confirmed.
The 25th
I wonder if you we know the person in the chair but the tags say otherwise.
HueSatLight
classic Bloodrose
Thag Simmons
if it was bloodrose those shoes would be black
HueSatLight
more evidence for my “Bloodrose has gone normie” theory.
Clif
The are clearly decoy shoes which Charlie set up ahead of time.
Steamweed
I am here for this headcanon.
ZombieKyrik
Truly a golden moment courtesy of Charlie; now how will she top it?
Clif
Having proved her superiority over Carla there is now no higher to top.
Deanatay
Apex prankster?
Boh No
I think Carla had some ideas how she can top
NGPZ
looks like that time hanging out with Dina has rubbed off on her
Charlie gonna be epic as a dom >:D
Steamweed
I’m sensing brat energy.
Decidedly Orthogonal
Pranks aren’t restricted to a particular role. They’re just a lovely part of relationships.
Pocky
relationship goals
Thag Simmons
Alt text has a cleverer play on student becomes the master than I would have done
Clif
Only a pranker of hotness, Darth Simmons.
Suet
All Charlie needs now are pies
the student has become the master
Nono
Silly Carla, if you have to show others you’re superior other than it being obvious from your sheer aura, maybe you’re not that superior after all.
Nadamás
Nope, sorry, Carla is empirically superior on the basis of being Carla
Sirksome
Untied shoelaces would lead me to believe that was Walky but red shoes also a level of fashion interest above zero so that ain’t him. Who’s the cool person? Style enough to wear bold red sneaks but won’t bother lacing them up. That’s everyone else’s problem.
brionl
So who did Alice & Jennifer run into yesterday?
Thag Simmons
a scene change, apparently
Taffy
Billie could be argued to have run into Alice, but otherwise nobody.
Proxiehunter
The floor.
Clif
Same as this strip. So basically we have a theme going.
BYM!
Over under on the chain ending with police tackling Joss?
Taffy
That would suck to see.
Nymph
The comedic rule of three says something will probably happen to put a tail on this trio of pratfalls, but I’m not sure Willis follows the rules.
Nymph
trio* if someone falls tomorrow also
DailyBrad
Okay, honestly, that’d kind of do it for me, too, so I get you, Carla.
Achallenger
Nature is healing
IntangibleMatter
They’re so perfect for each other I love them
darkoneko
HA.
Zero
Carla’s stance implies her feet weren’t even together.
Arianod
I know! That makes Charlie’s feat even more impressive!
Qube
check her shoulder for a star-shaped birthmark
no reason in particular
Sirksome
Can’t help but notice everyone seems to be having a pleasant morning as we move from scene to scene. Hope that isn’t setting us up. Tensions escalating at the protest still looms over all this.
SvenTS
Charlie continues to be the best.
Icalasari
Charlie has Magic Auto Shoelace Tying abilities
Dave Van Domelen
The true prank was Willis cutting away from Billie and Alice.
Effie