Learn English – When and why did people start referring to back flips as “gainers”

slang

I've heard this several times of the course of this year and wondered if the term "gainer" used to replace "backflip" was just slang or if there was actual reasoning behind it

Best Answer

This term is surprisingly old, dating back to at least 1905. It appears to originally be a diving term:

Image of the dive

Gainer Dive

Toes pointed toward the water. This is half a turn more than the come back dive.
Health: A Home Magazine Devoted to Physical Culture and Hygiene, Volume 55

Here's another source from 1908:

  1. STANDING FORWARD HIGH JUMP AND BACKWARD ONE HALF SOMERSAULT AND PLUNGE. The spring is made with both feet and done well forward. (The Gainer Plunge.)
  2. STANDING FORWARD HIGH JUMP AND BACKWARD SOMERSAULT. Same as No. 24, entering with feet. (The Gainer Somersault.)
    Physical Training

I am not sure why it was called a gainer, but this at least answers the when.

The term would be adopted into other sports later on (like skiing and gymnastics) but diving is where it started.

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