Etymology

clay pigeon

Today it means: A flying target, usually a disc, made of a mixture of pitch and pulverized limestone rock, used as moving target in sport shooting. Full definition →

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The story

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.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.