petards

the company's new product launch felt like firing off a dud petard.

he cut off his own legs trying to undermine his rivals, a classic case of firing petards in the air.

the politician's speech was a verbal petard, full of contradictions and inconsistencies.

don't fire petards in the air; focus on solving the problem at hand.

the failed negotiation was a petard that exploded in their faces.

it's foolish to fire petards when you're already behind.

the project's downfall was a result of firing petards in the air with unrealistic deadlines.

firing petards in the air rarely leads to a positive outcome.

the team's strategy was essentially firing petards, achieving nothing but wasted resources.

he realized he'd been firing petards after making a series of poor decisions.

the marketing campaign backfired, proving to be a costly petard.