Plonking

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To land abruptly and awkwardly, making a low and thudding noise while suggesting a lack of grace in movement or action
2. To fall in a heavy and unrefined manner, producing a sound that indicates impact while reflecting carelessness
3. To place or come down with a heavy, dull sound often indicating lack of finesse

Etymology: Among the most surprising things about "plonking" is that its main sense, setting something down with a heavy thud, may have started life as a joke about French wine. During the First World War, British soldiers borrowed the French "vin blanc" (white wine) and twisted it into "plonk", slang for cheap, rough wine. The earliest recorded form was the playful rhyming phrase "plinketty-plonk", which imitated the sound of wine being poured into a glass. That sound is the likely root of the verb's meaning. "Plonk" is onomatopoeic, and it sits alongside "plunk", which also imitates a dull, heavy sound. The verb's sense of dropping something with a thud grew naturally from the noise, so "plonking" describes the act of setting something down with that same flat, weighty clatter.

Synonyms: thumping, clattering, thudding