(See also FAILURE.)

come a cropper To fail badly in any undertaking, particularly after its apparent initial success; to encounter a sudden setback after an auspicious beginning. This figurative meaning derives from the literal come a cropper ‘to fall or be thrown headlong from a horse.’ Although the precise origin of the expression is not known, it may be related to the earlier phrase neck and crop meaning ‘bodily, completely, altogether.’ Both literal and figurative uses of the expression date from the second half of the 1800s.

Custer’s last stand An all-out, noble effort that ends in utter, embarrassing failure. In June of 1876, U.S. General George A. Custer’s troops were annihilated by Sioux warriors under Sitting Bull at the Battle of Little Big Horn. Since then, Custer’s last stand has gained currency as a phrase used in comparisons to emphasize those aspects of a given situation which fit the pattern of an all-out effort negated by total defeat, as established by the historical Custer’s last stand.

hoist with one’s own petard See REVERSAL.

meet one’s Waterloo To suffer a crushing and decisive defeat; to succumb to the pressures of a predicament, tragedy, or other unfavorable situation; to meet one’s match; to get one’s comeuppance. This expression alludes to the Battle of Waterloo (1815) in which Napoleon was decisively vanquished by the Duke of Wellington.