boomerang

noun

1. Any of various traditional throwing sticks used for hunting or combat by Australian aborigines, including the symmetrical, crescent-shaped, type (the returning boomerang).

   “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.”

   “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.”

2. 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.

   “Before long, however, these pike-like devices were mostly superseded by spring-operated guns of various types. Most of them shot spinning disks, crosses, or small boomerangs of thin steel.”

   “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."”

3. A breakdancing move in which the performer walks on their hands while keeping the legs raised off the ground.
4. A boomerang kick.
5. A device for changing the color of a followspot.

   “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.”

   “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.”

6. The early return of an aircraft whose mission was aborted, often due to technical failures.

   “For quotations using this term, see Citations:boomerang.”

7. A cocktail made with rye whiskey and Swedish punsch.

verb

1. (intransitive)To return or rebound unexpectedly, especially when the result is undesired; to backfire.

   “"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."”

   “"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.”

   “In the opening, Pawn-grabbing expeditions or premature mating attacks are apt to boomerang.”

   “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.

   “He said that to the horse as it boomeranged off again and broke away through the scrub.”

3. To abort a mission and return to base early.

   “For quotations using this term, see Citations:boomerang.”