backflop

Back-first water entry

A backflop is a failed attempt at a backflip, or more broadly, any backward fall or dive that lands flat rather than completing rotation.

The word blends backflip with flop, capturing both the intended move and its ungraceful outcome: He tried to show off on the trampoline but did a backflop instead.

As a verb, to backflop is to execute such a landing.

painful

smack

Strike with open hand

stingSharp wound from insect
winceReflexive recoil from distress
bruiseDiscolored tissue injury

ache · soreness · throb · ouch · red · welt · grimace · flinch · cringe · tender

dive

bellyflop

Flat-front water landing

platformRaised flat structure
springboardFlexible platform for jumping
poolCollective fund or basin

diving · splash · cannonball · plunge · water · jump · entry · impact · surface · smack

failure

fiasco

Humiliating public failure

debacleSudden, complete failure
botchSpoil through incompetence
bungleFail through clumsiness

misfire · collapse · disappointment · letdown · defeat · reversal · blunder · mistake · error · gaffe

Opposites

entry quality

backflopbackflip

Rearward aerial tumble

swan dive · jackknife · nailed it · stuck landing · flawless execution

body orientation

backflopbelly flop

Flat, painful dive

face plant

entry style

backfloppencil dive

Rigid vertical water entry

bellyflop

Family

back, flop, backs, backed, backing, backside, backward, backwards, setback

Familiarity: Top 1,000,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G