the.com/tumbler
A cup so paranoid about spills that it forgot how to stand up
means A flat-bottomed drinking glass with no handle or stem, or a person or device that tumbles — like an acrobat or the part of a lock that shifts when you turn a key.
from From the verb 'tumble,' itself from Middle English 'tumblen,' a frequentative of 'tumben' (to dance, leap, fall), with roots in Old English. The drinking glass earned the name because early versions had rounded or pointed bottoms and literally could not stand up — set them down full and they'd tumble, so you had to drain them first. The acrobat 'tumbler' and the lock 'tumbler' both spring from the same idea of something falling or rolling over.
- origin
- Named for rounded bottoms that tumbled, forcing you to drink up
- lock world
- Tumblers also click inside locks, the part keys lift
- acrobatics
- A tumbler is also a gymnast who flips for fun
- pigeon breed
- Tumbler pigeons somersault backward in midair flight
- modern flex
- Insulated tumblers became status symbols with cult followings
tumbler pigeon — breed of domestic pigeon known for backward somersaults in flight, developed in middle east centuries ago
acrobat tumbler — type of acrobat or gymnast performing ground tumbling, featured in cirque du soleil shows worldwide