Useless word of the day (4)

Galipette

/ɡalipɛt/
gal-ee-pay-tuh
A little somersault on the ground, using hands to roll on the back.
It's a word of vernacular origin, some say it comes from a old verb, galer, wich used to mean 'to have fun'. The suffix -ette at the end is cute and means 'little'.
Physical Education teachers and athletes despise galipette and call it a roulade (a roll), because it sounds more serious. But a galipette is a galipette, no matter what. It's fun, and nice, and not athletic at all. It comes naturally to every kid around 2 or 3.
Galipette avant / galipette arrière
A bit of a naughty twist, of course, when used in the plural : faire des galipettes. It all depends on the context...

Interestingly, when you jump up and turn in the air without touching the ground, a somersault is called a saut périlleux, literally a 'hazardous jump'.

No hazard for me... I'll stick to the galipette, thank you very much.