Shuttlecock anyone?
The name shuttlecock is frequently shortened to shuttle; it may also be known as a bird or birdie. The abbreviation cock is rarely used except in a jocular sense, due to its sexual connotations. The "shuttle" part of the name was probably derived from its back-and-forth motion during the game(badminton,) resembling the shuttle of a loom; the "cock" part of the name was probably derived from the resemblance of the feathers to those on a cockerel.
Thoughts?