physics for the patient, ammunition for the broke, danger for the overconfident.
means A Y-shaped handheld weapon that uses a stretched elastic band to launch small projectiles like stones or pellets.
from A plain compound of "sling" plus "shot." The "sling" half is the old one — a word with deep Germanic roots tied to the idea of throwing or flinging, the same family that gives us the ancient cord-and-pouch sling that downed Goliath. "Shot," meaning the thing thrown or fired, sits right beside it. The two were welded together in American English, roughly in the 19th century, once rubber gave the old throwing-idea a new snap. Worth noting: in much of Britain the same gadget is a "catapult," while "slingshot" carries the American accent.
angry birds — mobile game launched 2009 where players catapult birds at pigs using a slingshot mechanic
nasa gravity assist — spacecraft use planetary slingshot maneuvers to gain speed, like voyager 2 around jupiter in 1979
david vs goliath — biblical battle where david defeated goliath with a slingshot stone around 1000 bce