Thursday, December 4, 2008

Zing

There was the sudden zip and zing of magic.
—Terry Pratchett, The Light Fantastic (2000)
Zing is a little bolt of flowing energy, a “tiny shock.”* It whizzes past and bounces up, glittering all the way. Zing is something we add, to get things energized and moving. Zing is also associated with release, as in the saying, “Zing went the strings of my heart.”

* Diana G. Gallagher, Showdown at the Mall (1997)

1 comment:

Tamara said...

This is a great word. Apparently, it can be used as a way to highlight a witty, insulting comment to someone (a zinger).

Urban Dictionary gives some examples.