peter out

English

Etymology

1846 US miners’ slang, from 1812 peter (“to become exhausted”).[1] Various speculative etymologies have been suggested, either from St. Peter (from the sense of “rock”), French péter (“to fart”), or saltpeter (ingredient in gunpowder, hence used in mining).[2][3][4][5]

Verb

peter out (third-person singular simple present peters out, present participle petering out, simple past and past participle petered out)

  1. (idiomatic) To dwindle; to trail off; to diminish to nothing.
    What started as a great effort ended up petering out to nothing.

Translations

References

  1. ↑ “peter (v.)” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2001–2018, retrieved 26 February 2017.
  2. ↑ “Peter out” in Gary Martin, The Phrase Finder, 1997–, retrieved 26 February 2017.
  3. ↑ ami: origin of “peter out”
  4. ↑ Take Our Word For It #117
  5. ↑ A Hog On Ice & Other Curious Expressions, Charles Funk, 1948.
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