Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

clay pigeon

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.53 in modern English

Syllables
clay pi-geon
IPA
18
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
2
Syllables
10
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A flying target, usually a disc, made of a mixture of pitch and pulverized limestone rock, used as moving target in sport shooting.

Etymology

The term is a remnant of the history of trap shooting. Originally, live pigeons were used as targets, but they were gradually replaced with clay disks and ultimately banned. Later, clay was replaced with more suitable raw materials.

Inflected Forms

clay pigeons (plural)

Phrases

clay pigeon shooting clay target shooting skeet shooting sporting clays trap shooting

Frequently Paired Words

clay target shooting skeet skeet shooting sporting clays trap trapshooting trap shooting

Synonyms

clay target

Questions

What does clay pigeon mean?
A flying target, usually a disc, made of a mixture of pitch and pulverized limestone rock, used as moving target in sport shooting.
Where does clay pigeon come from?
The term is a remnant of the history of trap shooting. Originally, live pigeons were used as targets, but they were gradually replaced with clay disks and ultimately banned. Later, clay was replaced with more suitable raw materials.

How to pronounce clay pigeon

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “clay pigeon”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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  4. Repeat and practice — Say “clay pigeon” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.