flying saucer

Meanings

1. A disc-shaped unidentified flying object or UFO; originally in reference to sightings by aviator Kenneth Arnold in Washington in 1947.
2. An alien interplanetary vessel, typically disc-shaped and of metallic construction.
3. A form of confectionery, a small spheroidal capsule of rice paper filled with sherbet.

Etymology

From an interview given by amateur pilot Kenneth Arnold who described seeing nine flying objects that were "moving like saucers being skimmed across a lake". The description was not meant to describe the shape of the objects, only how they maneuvered, yet the misinterpretation took hold and gained popularity.