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, 2001–2019, 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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