rocketer

Etymology

From rocket + -er.

rocketer means A bird, especially a pheasant, which, being flushed, rises straight in the air like a rocket. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 90 out of 100.

Why this word is great

ROCKETER — [Noun] A game bird, especially a pheasant, that when startled erupts in a steep, near-vertical flight. From rocket (a projectile that ascends rapidly) + the agent-noun suffix -er. Unlike “rocketeer” (a human engineer or astronaut) or “skyer” (a cricketing term for a lofted ball), “rocketer” is an ornithological epithet for a creature’s explosive evasion. It is the sudden thunderclap of wings from the hedgerow, the feathered missile carving a sharp, upward line against the sky, and the heart’s own leap into the throat at the sound—a perfect expression of terror translated into upward motion, a brief rebellion burned into the memory of the hunt.

noun

A bird, especially a pheasant, which, being flushed, rises straight in the air like a rocket.“To see a real workman knocking down rocketer after rocketer at a height which would be considered impossible by half the men who go but shooting is to witness an exhibition of skill and correct timing which can only be attained by the most assiduous practice and the quickest of eyes.”