General
gambol
What does gambol mean?
A forward roll, the gymnastic kind. Standard English uses 'gambol' for a playful skip; Brummies repurposed it for the specific tumble across a PE mat. Ask anyone from Birmingham what a forward roll is and they'll look at you funny.
"Our kid did a gambol down the hill and ended up in the nettles."
Origin
Brummie semantic shift from standard English 'gambol' (to frolic), narrowed to mean the forward roll specifically.
Frequently asked questions
What does gambol mean in Brummie slang?
It's a forward roll — in Birmingham, kids don't do somersaults, they do gambols.
How do you use gambol in a sentence?
"He did a gambol across the gym mat."
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