pinball

Etymology

From pin + ball.

noun

1. (games) A game, played on a device with a sloping base, in which the player operates a spring-loaded plunger to shoot a ball, between obstacles, and attempts to hit targets and score points.
2. The ball used in pinball.
3. (figurative, soccer) A situation where a ball is frantically kicked between many players.
   The opener came from a Jarvis ball which struck Aleksandar Kolarov en route to a lively round of pinball between City players before it was poked in by Milijas. January 15, 2011, Saj Chowdhury, “Man City 4 - 3 Wolves”, in BBC

verb

1. (intransitive) To dart about rapidly.
   Like most immigrants, Gibbs came South for economic reasons and soon found himself pinballing around a world circumscribed by the hot growth markets... 1996, Peter Applebome, Dixie Rising: How the South is Shaping American Values, Politics and Culture
   They went off the road and pinballed alongside a stretch of guardrail as the Bambis scattered. 2004, David Baldacci, Hour Game