plinkern.
/ˈplɪŋkə/, U.S. /ˈplɪŋkər/ U.S. colloquial.
1. A person who shoots for recreation, esp. with an air gun, light handgun, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > hunting > shooting > shooter > [noun] > other types of shooter
Peter Gunner1615
pot-hunter1750
rifleman1809
snapshot1845
market-shooter1880
holder-on1881
potter1884
snap-shooter1887
kangaroo-shooter1902
plinker1943
rough-shooter1958
scattergunner1969
1943 Chicago Tribune 8 Nov. 2 (advt.) Swinging Bird Target Set—For the .22 ‘plinker’ or expert... Shooting fun, with all the trouble left out.
1948 Amer. Midland Naturalist 39 297 A few are wounded each year by duck hunters and ‘plinkers’.
1960 Reno (Nevada) Evening Gaz. 22 Dec. 35/6 Should you be a plinker or bunny bopper, the season for this is still underway.
2001 High Country News 10 Sept. 3/1 The weapons of the plinkers and target shooters have changed in recent years.
2. A gun suitable for recreational shooting; a light handgun.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > small-arm > [noun] > small, inefficient, or antiquated gun
potgun1562
pot-cannon1653
popgun1719
gas pipe1867
plinker1960
1960 Reno (Nevada) Evening Gaz. 8 Sept. 16/6 (advt.) 32 Steyr Automatic. An ideal plinker or a reliable home protection weapon.
1972 Advocate (Newark, Ohio) 8 Mar. 27/2 (advt.) Hi standard plinkers. 4½ inch barrel. Retail $64.50.
1998 Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch 30 Nov. 3 a/3 People buying all kinds of guns—handguns, shotguns and rifles, even .22-caliber ‘plinkers’—will be subject to a so-called instant background check.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1943