Purler

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A hard, headfirst tumble to the ground, often one that leaves a person badly shaken or bruised
2. An informal British term for a heavy, headlong fall, especially one taken all at once and without warning
3. A sudden and forceful plunge onto the ground, usually head first, the kind that knocks the wind out of someone

Etymology: "Purler" is a British informal word for a heavy fall, usually a headlong tumble, and it is also used for something outstanding, as in a "purler" of a goal or a "purler" of a party. The word is built on "purl," an older English term meaning a fall, so the noun is essentially "one who takes a purl" in the sense of a spectacular crash. Its exact relationship to "purl" as a fall is traced to the same root, though the deeper origin of "purl" itself remains uncertain. The sense of a dramatic tumble has stayed closely attached to the word's core, which is why it appears so often in descriptions of sport and mishaps. Over time, the same sense of something headlong and impressive lent itself to the figurative use, where a "purler" is a striking example of something rather than a literal fall.

Synonyms: tumble, fall, spill, header