This particular article outlines the origin of the term "flying saucer" in the context of the 1947 sighting by pilot Kenneth Arnold:
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"There’s a fresh
UFO hullabaloo, and that provides the perfect opportunity to encounter the origin of “
flying saucer” and “
UFO.” There are no
alien autopsies,
abductions or crop circles in these stories, but there is no shortage of
weirdness.
First, here’s the latest
extraterrestrial extravaganza. A group of retired Air Force members and UFO researchers held a press conference claiming that aliens not only monitor, but have interfered with
nuclear weapons around the world. No video, audio or other documentation accompanies these claims.
In June, 1947,
aviator Kenneth Arnold created a media sensation after reporting a remarkable experience over
Mount Rainer in
Washington State. Arnold said that he encountered flashes of light and nine objects flying in a formation, flipping over occasionally and waving from side to side. He followed them and found they were traveling at an incredible speed and consisted of various shapes. Eventually, he lost sight of them and landed, sharing his experience. Word spread, and his account, to use the
jargon of the
Web, went
viral.
In interviews with the press, Arnold described the flying objects in multiple ways, including “oval in front and
convex in the rear,” and like a “pie plate.” Some unknown editor is probably responsible for the historic
coinage “flying saucer.” For awhile, “flying disk” competed with “saucer” in the arena of public discourse, but we all know the winner of that linguistic duel..."
Continued at "Dictionary.com"
http://blog.dictionary.com/flying-saucer-ufo/
