Target
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Origin
Middle English, from Middle French targette, targuete, diminutive of targe light shield, from Old French, of Germanic origin; akin to Old Norse targa shield
Definitions
- 1: a small round shield
- 2a : a mark to shoot at
- b : a target marked by shots fired at it
- c : something or someone fired at or marked for attack
- d : a goal to be achieved
- 3:a : an object of ridicule or criticism
- b : something or someone to be affected by an action or development
- 4a : the metallic surface (as of platinum or tungsten) upon which the stream of electrons within an X-ray tube is focused and from which the X-rays are emitted
- b : a body, surface, or material bombarded with nuclear particles or electrons; especially : fluorescent material on which desired visual effects are produced in electronic devices (as in radar)
Description
The bullseye, or bull's-eye, is the centre of a target (worth 10 points in target archery or 50 points in darts), and by extension the name given to any shot that hits the bullseye. In darts, a double bullseye is the centre (small) bullseye and counts as 50 points.
The word bullseye can therefore refer to any design or pattern featuring prominent concentric circles, visually suggesting an archery target. Consequently, "hitting the bullseye" became a term for an unexpectedly good success.