Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A sporadic pronking behaviour in guinea pigs.
  • noun An accidental chain reaction in which one explosion sets off others

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

popcorn +‎ -ing, from the jumping movements of kernels of popcorn as they are cooked.

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Examples

  • Yet more than 1700 of them have design flaws that could conceivably cause multiple warheads to explode one after another - an effect known as "popcorning" - according to a UK Ministry of Defence safety manual.

    Archive 2008-06-01 Not a sheep 2008

  • Yet more than 1700 of them have design flaws that could conceivably cause multiple warheads to explode one after another - an effect known as "popcorning" - according to a UK Ministry of Defence safety manual.

    Are you concerned about "popcorning"? Not a sheep 2008

  • Not a sheep: Are you concerned about "popcorning"? skip to main | skip to sidebar

    Are you concerned about "popcorning"? Not a sheep 2008

  • Another issue is so-called "popcorning" which can occur during soldering.

    Purchasing - Top Stories 2010

  • Another issue is so-called "popcorning" which can occur during soldering.

    Purchasing - Top Stories 2010

  • Very hard to find elephants and George Washington in even popcorning.

    Barnstorming on an Invisible Segway zorinth 2009

  • The effects of a popcorning accident would be dire.

    Are you concerned about "popcorning"? Not a sheep 2008

  • However, a nuclear-weapons safety manual drawn up by the MoD's internal nuclear-weapons regulator argues that this standard single-point design might not be enough to prevent popcorning.

    Are you concerned about "popcorning"? Not a sheep 2008

  • However, a nuclear-weapons safety manual drawn up by the MoD's internal nuclear-weapons regulator argues that this standard single-point design might not be enough to prevent popcorning.

    Archive 2008-06-01 Not a sheep 2008

  • This "would contribute to the prevention of popcorning and should be a design objective".

    Are you concerned about "popcorning"? Not a sheep 2008

Comments

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  • Yet more than 1700 of them have design flaws that could conceivably cause multiple warheads to explode one after another – an effect known as "popcorning" – according to a UK Ministry of Defence safety manual.

    New Scientist, 28 June 2008

    (Not in OED 3rd ed.)

    July 14, 2008

  • Popcorning is to guinea pigs as pronking or stotting is to gazelles. If you say so. And Boing Boing is an Internet presence.

    November 28, 2011

  • A video of guinea pigs popcorning, via my guinea pig owner coworker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjC94EhAs00

    April 12, 2016