Plinking

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The activity of firing a small-caliber firearm at informal targets like cans or bottles to improve aim and have fun
2. Engaging in casual shooting aimed at disposable or easy-to-hit objects for leisure and practice
3. Participating in recreational shooting by aiming at small, often makeshift targets to develop shooting skills

Etymology: "Plinking" is shooting at small, often makeshift targets, such as tin cans, bottles or rocks, purely to sharpen one's aim. The verb is built from "plink", a word that imitates a light, metallic ring, the sound a small pellet or bullet makes when it strikes a can or a bottle. "Plink" was first a sound word, and the sport took its name from the noise the targets made when hit. The "-ing" ending is the ordinary English suffix that turns a verb into a verbal form, so "plinking" is simply the activity of "plinking" carried out as a pastime. The source sees the suffix as ambiguous, so it is best understood as a plain add-on to the base verb rather than a special word-type of its own.