shuttlecock

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the lightweight, cone-shaped object with a rounded cork or rubber base that players hit in badminton

   The shuttlecock landed just inside the back line.

2. 2
   verb

   to send a person or thing rapidly back and forth between sides or places

   The two departments shuttlecocked the application back and forth for weeks.

A compound of shuttle + cock. Shuttle referred to the object's darting back-and-forth flight, like the loom tool; cock referred to its crown of feathers, resembling a male bird's tail. The verb transfers the game's repeated volleys to people, messages, or responsibilities sent between sides.

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