A small explosion of gas or smoke in a tunnel or underground space, historically used in mining or siege warfare; or an insult or affront delivered indirectly.
From French 'camouflet,' meaning a puff of smoke blown in someone's face as an insult, dating to the 17th century. The term later acquired the military meaning of a contained underground explosion.
The original French meaning—blowing smoke in someone's face as an insult—reveals how this word once captured a very specific form of humiliation, and its evolution into military terminology shows how languages adapt warfare concepts from everyday life.
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