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backfire in Spanish

backfire in Spanish is petardear, jugar una mala pasada, salir el tiro por la culata — backfire means of an engine or gun, to ignite or explode unexpectedly in the wrong direction, often with a loud pop.

backfire in Spanish

petardear
verb
(of a reciprocating engine, intransitive) To experience a premature ignition of fuel or an ignition of exhaust gases, making a popping sound.
jugar una mala pasada
verb
(idiomatic, transitive) To fail in a manner that brings down further misfortune.
salir el tiro por la culata
verb
(idiomatic, transitive) To fail in a manner that brings down further misfortune.
tener contraefecto
verb
(idiomatic, transitive) To fail in a manner that brings down further misfortune.
tener efecto retroactivo
verb
(idiomatic, transitive) To fail in a manner that brings down further misfortune.
tener el efecto contrario
verb
(idiomatic, transitive) To fail in a manner that brings down further misfortune.

What does "backfire" mean?

  1. verb Of an engine or gun, to ignite or explode unexpectedly in the wrong direction, often with a loud pop.
    "The old truck backfired loudly at every red light."
  2. verb To produce the opposite result to the one intended, making the situation worse.
    "His plan to surprise her backfired when she found the receipt first."
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backfire in a sentence

  • The old truck backfired loudly at every red light.
  • His plan to surprise her backfired when she found the receipt first.

Similar words in Spanish

Common Spanish translations

Frequently asked questions

What is "backfire" in Spanish?

"backfire" in Spanish is petardear, jugar una mala pasada, salir el tiro por la culata. backfire means: Of an engine or gun, to ignite or explode unexpectedly in the wrong direction, often with a loud pop.

How do you use "backfire" in a sentence?

Example: "The old truck backfired loudly at every red light." In Spanish, "backfire" is petardear, jugar una mala pasada, salir el tiro por la culata.

Are there other ways to say "backfire" in Spanish?

Yes — Spanish has 6 translations listed for "backfire": petardear, jugar una mala pasada, salir el tiro por la culata, tener contraefecto, tener efecto retroactivo, tener el efecto contrario.

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Translations from WikDict, CC BY-SA · example sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR.