the.com/bouncy
physics' way of saying you don't have to take the fall personally
means Springy and resilient — able to spring back after being squashed, pressed, or knocked down, whether you're a ball, a mattress, or a mood.
from From "bounce," a verb first recorded in Middle English as bunsen, meaning to thump or strike — likely echoic, the word miming the very sound of a heavy knock. Over time the sense softened from a dull thud into a lively rebound, and the adjective "bouncy" sprang off it, carrying that recoil into everything from rubber to high spirits.
- coined late
- The word only entered English around 1850
- basketball physics
- NBA balls must rebound to 52 inches dropped from 72
- castle origin
- Inflatable bouncy castles were invented by accident in 1959
- elastic energy
- Rubber returns up to 90 percent of impact energy
- slang turn
- It also means to leave somewhere fast
space hopper — rubber toy with handles, popular in 1960s-70s for children to bounce around
kangaroo — australian marsupial that can bounce up to 30 feet per leap
pogo stick — spring-loaded jumping toy invented in 1920s, still sold today