pong

"Pong" is best known as one of the earliest hit arcade video games, a simple digital table tennis game where two paddles knock a ball back and forth. From that image, the word is also used for a reply to a "ping" in technical or casual use, or more generally for a quick back-and-forth exchange. You may hear people talk about messages or ideas "ping-ponging" between people. In British and some other forms of English, "pong" is also an informal word for a strong, unpleasant smell, and it can also mean "to smell bad." The tone changes a lot with the context, so the setting matters.

"Pong" first became famous in 1972 as a simple arcade video game that helped make video games popular around the world. In the game, two players control paddles and hit a ball back and forth across the screen, much like table tennis. Because of that clear back-and-forth action, the word later came to suggest a return movement, a reply, or an exchange between two sides. In computing, it often means the answer to a "ping." In everyday language, people may also use "ping-pong" for messages, ideas, or blame moving quickly from one person to another.

The word also has a very different everyday meaning in British and Commonwealth English. There, "pong" can be a noun for a bad smell or a verb meaning "to smell bad." Someone might say, "There is a pong in the kitchen," or "Your shoes pong." This meaning is informal and often a little humorous, but it is common enough that learners should know it. So depending on the situation, "pong" may point to an old video game, a reply in a back-and-forth system, or an unpleasant smell.