Crossword Genius

Imitating the sound of a bullet? (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

aping

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'imitating' is the definition.
('ape' can be a synonym of 'imitate')

'sound of a bullet?' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'sound' could be 'ping' (pinging is a kind of sounding) and 'ping' is found within the answer.
'a' is within the answer.
No letters remain.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'the' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for aping that I've seen before include "Trying to repeat" , "Taking off" , "Imitating, copying" , "Making copy of" , "Sending up" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
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