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backfire
(redirected from backfires)

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Legal, Wikipedia 0.04 sec.
backfire
1. in an internal-combustion engine
a. an explosion of unburnt gases in the exhaust system
b. a premature explosion in a cylinder or inlet manifold
2. a controlled fire started to create a barren area that will halt an advancing forest or prairie fire

backfire [′bak‚fīr]
(civil engineering)
A fire that is started in order to burn against and cut off a spreading fire.
(electronics)
(engineering)
Momentary backward burning of flame into the tip of a torch. Also known as flashback.
(mechanical engineering)
In an internal combustion engine, an improperly timed explosion of the fuel mixture in a cylinder, especially one occurring during the period that the exhaust or intake valve is open and resulting in a loud detonation.
(ordnance)
Rearward escapement of gases or cartridge fragments upon firing a gun.


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The tractable Bernice is so quick a study, however, that the plan backfires, and Margery's most persistent beau, Warren--never more important to Margery than after his attention begins to wane--shows all the signs of switching his allegiance.
The cooler weather, with its 60 percent humidity Wednesday night, caused firefighters to cancel planned backfires -- controlled burns that eat up brush and create breaks to stop the wildfire from advancing, Skaggs said.
In the novel, Opal's mission to reinvent herself backfires when her friends discover her game-plan, but in real life Viswanathan suffered a far more public humiliation when stories detailing numerous instances of plagiarism in Opal Mehta hit The New York Times and the "Today" show.
 
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