I had no problem with "limp," which I understood to mean "flaccid," and I understood that diminished masculinity was somehow intended here. I just didn't understand how a "petard" (a bomb) could be limp.
Does the narrator think that "petard" is some sort of structure by which things might be hoisted—say, a gallows, halyard, or flagpole—based on the expression "hoist by one's own petard"? I suppose something like that might resemble a stiffy. Unfortunately, the "hoist" in that expression refers to being pushed up by an explosion, not to being pulled upward by a rope or hook:
HISTORICAL
noun: petard; plural noun: petards
a small bomb made of a metal or wooden box filled with powder, used to blast down a door or to make a hole in a wall.
a kind of firework that explodes with a sharp report.
Phrases
be hoist by one's own petard — have one's plans to cause trouble for others backfire on one.
Origin
mid 16th century: from French pétard, from péter ‘break wind’.
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