ricochet meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

ricochet

noun

UK /ˈɹɪk.ə.ʃeɪ/

Etymology Borrowed from French ricochet, of uncertain origin.

Government, Military, Politics, War A method of firing a projectile so that it skips along a surface.

An instance of ricocheting; a glancing rebound.

And you've not been hit / By flying lead / You'd better close your eyes / Bow your head / Wait for the ricochet1970, “Child in Time”, in Deep Purple in Rock, performed by Deep Purple:

verb

Etymology Borrowed from French ricochet, of uncertain origin.

To rebound off something wildly in a seemingly random direction.

Everything that could go right for England did although they never felt lucky and they chuckled at Kane’s third that ricocheted off his heel while he was looking the other way.2018 June 24, Sam Wallace, “Harry Kane scores hat-trick as England hit Panama for six to secure World Cup knock-out qualification”, in Telegraph (UK), retrieved 24 Jun 2018:
The truth is that our love / Will ricochet through eternity2023, “It Must Change”, in My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross, performed by ANOHNI:

1 more example

Before the interval an Alibade strike ricocheted off the back of Bright after Ifeoma Onumonu’s cutback. Then in added time Uchenna Kanu smacked a header off the top of the bar.2023 August 7, Suzanne Wrack, “England beat Nigeria on penalties to reach Women’s World Cup quarter-finals”, in The Guardian:

Government, Military, Politics, War To operate upon by ricochet firing.