# archery needs a verb



## Azzurri

What should we tell people we do? In French, there's tir a l' arc which I understand to be "throw" a la arc, with the bow. Similarly Spanish, tiro con arco, throw with arc. In English, shooting archery is verb noun with the sport as a noun. Shooting is kind of generic, I could have a rifle just the same. Flinging arrows is closer but not a widely accepted thing. No one says I'm going archerying. Do people "arch?" [Scratches head] Anyone got a good archery verb?


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## chrstphr

I think flinging arrows implies no skill or form. just the fun of the act. 

i tell my wife, im going to shoot. or Im going to the range, i have to shoot. My wife calls it " shoot archery". 
maybe generic, but it works for me. 


Chris


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## Sosius

To arch or not to arch, that is the question.


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## Arsi

Sosius said:


> To arch or not to arch, that is the question.


I can see it now....

Me: I arch.
Person: Oh like yoga?
Me: Well... we do technically need lots of flexibility and contort our bodies in a way that makes no sense... so yes. Like yoga.


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## Ten_Zen

Archery is the name of the discipline. One does not "do" a discipline, one practices it. For example, you would not say, "I do karate." You would say "I practice karate." What you are _doing_ is shooting a bow, just like what someone who practices karate is _doing_ is fighting with their hands. The correct verb for any engaging in any discipline is "practice." If we wanted to be clever we could come up with a new word for practicing archery, but I don't really think there is one that would convey the message better (arching?). Personally I like saying I practice archery, it sounds more sophisticated that way, like 'I practice medicine.'


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## jguardia

Azzurri said:


> In French, there's tir a l' arc which I understand to be "throw" a la arc, with the bow. Similarly Spanish, tiro con arco, throw with arc.


Just to put it out there since I grew up speaking Spanish and I'm also currently learning French. Tiro means a lot of things in Spanish not just throw. It also means shot like with a gun or bow or even kick in the context of soccer. Same thing for tir in French. But when I am speaking Spanish it always seems really clunky to say it so I agree it could be better all around.



Azzurri said:


> Do people "arch?"


This reminded me of the Geena Davis archery video where she says "This is how I arch."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93jSVyXW5gc


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## erickatgta

It is "shoot" in chinese since like forever.. Like 1000 years ago..


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## theminoritydude

erickatgta said:


> It is "shoot" in chinese since like forever.. Like 1000 years ago..


Specifically, "shoot" arrows.


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## theminoritydude

You practice archery by shooting arrows. Just like how you play soccer by kicking the ball.


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## _JR_

Saggita, ergo sum.


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## grantmac

I say shooting. Those who know me know what that means.

-Grant


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## midwayarcherywi

Fling, flang, flung

I love to fling arrows. Yesterday I flang some arrows. I wish I would have flung them more accurately.


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## arrowchucker222

Just like my handle Arrowchucker!


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## Mr. Roboto

I usually say "throw some arrows down range" or "kill some paper", or my favorite, "I going to the range"


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## StarDog

I just say I'm going outside to play with my bow and arrows.


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## lksseven

Azzurri said:


> What should we tell people we do? In French, there's tir a l' arc which I understand to be "throw" a la arc, with the bow. Similarly Spanish, tiro con arco, throw with arc. In English, shooting archery is verb noun with the sport as a noun. Shooting is kind of generic, I could have a rifle just the same. Flinging arrows is closer but not a widely accepted thing. No one says I'm going archerying. Do people "arch?" [Scratches head] Anyone got a good archery verb?


I just tell people that "I am an archer." That makes it pretty clear 'what I do'. If they are interested to know more (which doesn't include everyone!), I tell them I am an 'Olympic style recurve target archer'. Then they 'get' exactly what I do.


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## Earthroot

Falarchering


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## Varza

Azzurri said:


> What should we tell people we do? In French, there's tir a l' arc which I understand to be "throw" a la arc, with the bow. Similarly Spanish, tiro con arco, throw with arc. In English, shooting archery is verb noun with the sport as a noun. Shooting is kind of generic, I could have a rifle just the same. Flinging arrows is closer but not a widely accepted thing. No one says I'm going archerying. Do people "arch?" [Scratches head] Anyone got a good archery verb?


I'm pretty sure "tir" actually means "to shoot", not "to throw", so from those languages, it translates into "shooting with a bow". Actually yeah "tir" = to shoot" "à l'arc" = "in the style of/with the bow". "Tiro" = "to shoot", "con" = with, "arco" = bow.

Actually I'm quite sure about that. It seems that the word for bow and is the same as the word for arc (as in, the geometric shape) in most Latin languages. 

Source: I speak a Latin language, but neither of these two. Someone who is fluent, please tell me if I'm stupid. 

But basically, what I'm saying is "shooting with a bow" is a fine descriptor for what you're doing. I say "I have archery practice tonight" to my co-workers. Or "Team practice tonight", which they know means archery team  "going to shoot" is 100% understood by my fellow archer whom I live with. "Flinging arrows" is used when I'm either 1. really tired and realize practice is no longer effective but want to keep shooting out of inertia, or 2. when I'm being disparaging of my own archery skills (often, granted).


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## ThomVis

Varza said:


> I'm pretty sure "tir" actually means "to shoot"


Correct.

In Dutch the practice is called "boogschieten", or for the nitpickers "handboogschieten", which literally translates to (hand)bowshooting.


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## midwayarcherywi

ThomVis said:


> Correct.
> 
> In Dutch the practice is called "boogschieten", or for the nitpickers "handboogschieten", which literally translates to (hand)bowshooting.


Hey, I like that. We may have to Americanize it to 'boogie'. Now I have to boogie a few arrows down range.


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## StarDog

midwayarcherywi said:


> Hey, I like that. We may have to Americanize it to 'boogie'. Now I have to boogie a few arrows down range.


We have a winner!!!


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## c365

chrstphr said:


> I think flinging arrows implies no skill or form. just the fun of the act.
> 
> Chris


But that's me Chris....haha!


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## beerbudget

View attachment 2209900


Lack of a verb is why Sports Chalet doesn't have a license frame for our sport


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## iArch

Azzurri said:


> What should we tell people we do? In French, there's tir a l' arc which I understand to be "throw" a la arc, with the bow. Similarly Spanish, tiro con arco, throw with arc. In English, shooting archery is verb noun with the sport as a noun. Shooting is kind of generic, I could have a rifle just the same. Flinging arrows is closer but not a widely accepted thing. No one says I'm going archerying. Do people "arch?" [Scratches head] Anyone got a good archery verb?


I would say "I shoot archery"


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## High Plains

I tell my wife I'm going out to shoot, she says OK but I know she thinks whatever.


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## Varza

Something that bothers me is when people say "fire" or "fire your arrow" - when I hear that I respond with "I don't have a lighter!" The bow is not a fire arm - I don't know why that annoys me, I guess it's what you call a "pet peeve" ^^


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## bobnikon




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## jegeig

I'm going to go slipping string.
I'm going to put the curve in my recurve.
I'm going to go bend limbs. 
I'm going to go perforate bales.

Compound-specific:
I'm going to go spin wheels. (Or is that just what practice on a bad day feels like?)

A lot of sports don't really have a good verb. It's just "play ____". Shoot archery, shoot my bow, or just shooting works just fine. Although I kind of like slipping string.


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## Greysides

You fire a gun, you shoot a bow.


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## kshet26

You also loose an arrow.


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## rharper

I'd rather be loosing!


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## Ms. X Hunter

I've heard one archer correct another and say, "we don't shoot arrows, we cast them." To me, "casting" sounds too un-archery related. Like others have said, responding to the question of "what sport do you play?" with "I shoot archery" is a bit like saying "I kick a soccer ball." "I shoot arrows" makes it seem like you just shoot (or arch, loose, cast, fling, etc) without thinking or effort. (Which ironically is what we strive to do..)

Archery is hard to put into a verb. How about responding to the question with a sentence about it instead? "I am an archer" or "I shoot- oops, that's not a noun for the sport. 

Combining "shoot archery" into a single verb is hard. I wish it didn't sound too awkward. "I practice archery" is good, but sounds super formal. We could just say that we "play archery," because if it's fun, it's play!

I like this discussion - I was just thinking about this when writing a bio for the community theatre's program. I ended up putting "she enjoys... competitive archery."


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## c365

I've never had any problem at all with just the word archery. Understood by archers and non archers alike. When you start attaching various verbs to it, people wonder exactly what your saying.


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## mahgnillig

Surely 'shooting' was used as a term for shooting arrows long before guns were invented... I think guns stole the term from bows, so we must reclaim it!


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## Blackshadow

Telling people "I'm a toxophilite" will get you some strange looks. I'm an archer that shoots the bull's eye.


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