boomerang

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English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia
A wooden boomerang

Etymology

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Borrowed from Dharug bumariny.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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boomerang (plural boomerangs)

  1. A flat curved airfoil that spins about an axis perpendicular to the direction of flight, originally used in various parts of the world as a hunting weapon or, in returnable types, for sports or training.
    Synonym: kylie
    • 1884, Andrew Lang, “Star Myths”, in Custom and Myth:
      Some resemblance to terrestrial things, it is true, everyone can behold in the heavens. Corona, for example, is like a crown, or, as the Australian black fellows know, it is like a boomerang, and we can understand why they give it the name of that curious curved missile.
    • 1897, Warren Bert Kimberly, History of West Australia:
      With boomerang and spear they hunted the kangaroo and emu, and fought their battles beneath the eucalyptus forests; their minds, fresh, untroubled, contented, oblivious alike of noble ideals and philosophic principles.
    • 1961, Charlie Drake, song, My Boomerang Won't Come Back,
      "Don't worry, boy, I know the trick, / And to you I'm gonna show it. / If you want your boomerang to come back, / Well first you've got to... throw it."
  2. A breakdancing move in which the performer walks on their hands while keeping the legs raised off the ground.
  3. (Australian rules football, rugby) A boomerang kick.
  4. (theater) A device for changing the color of a followspot.
    • 2013, Steven Louis Shelley, A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting:
      Roll: A live action changing from one color to another. Typically requires dexterity to "crossfade" between two colors in the boomerang with one hand while following with the other.
    • 2013, John Holloway, Illustrated Theatre Production Guide, page 144:
      If you are spot one you should push down on the first lever on the boomerang to load frame one. Spot two should do the same with frame five. On the go, both spot ops should run their dowser levers to bring the light up on the target specified by the cue caller.
  5. (RAF slang) The early return of an aircraft whose mission was aborted, often due to technical failures.
  6. A cocktail made with rye whiskey and Swedish punsch.

Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • → Japanese: ブーメラン (būmeran)

Translations

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See also

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Verb

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boomerang (third-person singular simple present boomerangs, present participle boomeranging, simple past and past participle boomeranged)

  1. (intransitive) To return or rebound unexpectedly, especially when the result is undesired; to backfire.
    • 1882 March 7, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Stark Munro Letters:
      "Well, there must be some flaw about this," I suggested. "If your magnet is so strong as all that, you would have your own broadside boomeranging back upon you."
    • 1899 November, “"Showin' Off"”, in Harper's New Monthly Magazine, volume 99, number 863:
      "Oh," they yelled, "you could, eh? Well, let's see you do it, then! Let's see you do it! Let's see you do it! Now!" In a moment the crew of little spectators were gibing at Horace. The blow that would make Jimmie's humiliation complete! Instead, it had boomeranged Horace into the mud.
    • 1985 February 2, Ronald Reagan, Presidential Radio Address:
      Our future economic success depends on the economy growing faster than government spending. That's why raising taxes would boomerang. Economic growth would slow, revenues would decline, and the budget deficit would swell.
  2. (intransitive) To travel in a curved path.
    • 1894, Henry Lawson, “The Mystery of Dave Regan”, in Short Stories in Prose and Verse‎[1]:
      He said that to the horse as it boomeranged off again and broke away through the scrub.
  3. (RAF slang) To abort a mission and return to base early.

Translations

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Translations

See also

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Further reading

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Anagrams

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Danish

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Danish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia da

Etymology

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Borrowed from English boomerang, from Dharug bumariny.

Noun

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boomerang c (definite singular boomerangen, indefinite plural boomeranger, definite plural boomerangerne)

  1. a boomerang

French

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English boomerang.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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boomerang m (plural boomerangs)

  1. boomerang

Further reading

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Spanish

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Alternative forms

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Noun

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boomerang m (plural boomerangs)

  1. boomerang
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