blowback
Meaning
the unintended adverse results of a political action or situation.
a process in which gases expand or travel in a direction opposite to the normal or intended one, especially in an internal-combustion engine or a firearm.
Structure
Usage
the covert operation resulted in significant political blowback for the administration.
a malfunction caused dangerous blowback from the experimental engine.
policymakers often fail to anticipate the blowback from economic sanctions.
Etymology
the compound 'blowback' is a modern formation from two old english roots. 'blow' derives from the proto-germanic blǣaną, meaning "to blow," which is of proto-indo-european origin, possibly from bʰleh₁- meaning "to swell, blow." 'back' comes from proto-germanic baką, related to the concept of the rear. the term first emerged in the early 20th century in mechanical contexts, such as firearms and engines, to literally describe a reverse flow of gas or force. its figurative political sense, denoting an unforeseen negative consequence of an intervention, developed later in the century, logically extending the core idea of a force rebounding against its originator.
Analysis
blow (from old english 'blāwan', meaning to move air, a verb); back (from old english 'bæc', meaning the rear surface, here used as an adverb to indicate reverse direction).