[citation needed] Today, bungee cords are most often used to secure objects without tying knots and to absorb shock.
Inexpensive bungee cords, with metal or plastic hooks on each end, are marketed as a general utility item.
Extensions of the concept are available as a coarse net of bungee cords with metal or plastic hooks around the periphery, for securing irregularly shaped loads of luggage and cargo on the backs of pickup trucks, roofs of cars, and so on.
The Oxford English Dictionary records the use of the phrase in 1938 for launching of gliders using an elasticated cord.
[3][4] Bungee cords are a major source of eye injury, and some doctors suggest not using them.