this post was submitted on 22 Jul 2023
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This is the second time in a week someone has used "tumble" to mean "occur rapidly" instead of "fall". Is this a new colloquialism or had"tumble" always had a second definition as "occur rapidly"?
If a condition is worsening (a "fall") "tumble" applies just fine. Indeed, "tumble" is just a way to say "falling rapidly" in this context.
The reason "tumble" (and its notion of "fall") is applicable is because the situation is worsening. If it was rapidly improving, nobody would say "tumble"; it's not simply that it is occurring rapidly.
In this case, one could assume tumbling is related to the temperature and not the situation, leading to an observation that the situation is improving. It is a poor choice of words for this headline.
No, as I realized and clarified in a comment of mine down this thread a bit,
Here, "climate records" is the object of the verb "tumble". That is, the thing that is "tumbling" are "climate records".
I agree it's a poor choice of wording for a headline but it is clear what is doing the tumbling on subsequent reads.