belly flop
Definition
- Noun:
- A dive into water in which the front of the body, especially the abdomen, hits the surface flat and forcefully, rather than entering cleanly head-first or feet-first. It is often characterized by a loud slapping sound and is typically unintentional or performed for comedic effect.
Usage
- The word belly flop is used to describe a specific, often painful, type of dive. It is commonly used in informal contexts related to swimming, diving, or humorous mishaps.
Examples
- Noun:
- His attempt at a fancy dive turned into a painful belly flop.
- The sound of the belly flop echoed across the pool, making everyone wince.
- In the comedy routine, the clown's signature move was an exaggerated belly flop into a tiny pool.
Advanced Usage
- "to do/pull a belly flop": This phrase describes the act of performing such a dive.
- He misjudged the board and ended up doing a massive belly flop.
- "belly-flop" as a verb (less common): The term can be used informally as a verb meaning to perform this type of dive.
- He belly-flopped into the lake with a huge splash.
Variants and Related Words
- Belly-flopper (noun): An informal term for a person who performs a belly flop or the dive itself.
- He's known as the king of the belly-floppers at our local pool.
- Belly whop / Belly whopper (noun): A regional or informal variant with the same meaning.
- Cannonball: A different type of dive where one enters the water curled into a ball, causing a big splash. This is sometimes confused with but is distinct from a belly flop.
Synonyms
- Flop: A more general term for a clumsy or unsuccessful dive.
- Belly smacker: An informal synonym emphasizing the slapping impact.
- Belly buster: Another informal, humorous synonym.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- While not a phrasal verb, the concept is sometimes used metaphorically to describe a complete and embarrassing failure in other areas.
- The product launch was a total belly flop; it failed to attract any customers.
- His presentation belly-flopped when the technology failed.
Noun
-
a dive in which the abdomen bears the main force of impact with the water
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