It was a TV game show in which contestants were guessing various forms of exercise that could be performed at home and one of them called out acrobatics.
I tend to associate acrobatics with the circus, you know, like trapeze acts and various types of tumbling such as cartwheels, back flips, and handstands. I never thought of it as an exercise. Duh.
It does make for a good example of how your reader might interpret your words.
Aerobatics is another type of exercise, lol, only it’s the plane that’s exerting itself.
As for aerobics . . . Ugh. That is definitely an exhausting system of exercises, and what the answer was on that game show.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Acrobatics | Aerobatics | Aerobics |
|---|---|---|
Chinese Acrobat in Midair Being Watched by Other Acrobats by GeorgeLouis is under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — This is how I interpret acrobatics. |
Double Decker Move is in the public domain, via PxFuel. — A fun move in aerobatics. |
Step Aerobics by ShinyFan is under the CC BY-SA 2.5 license, via Wikimedia Commons. |
| Part of Grammar: | ||
| Noun, plural Usually treated as a singular Plural: acrobatics |
Noun
Plural: aerobatics |
Noun, plural Frequently treated as a singular Plural: aerobics |
| Noun: [As a plural noun] The skills or feats of an acrobat [As a singular noun] The art of an acrobat [As a plural noun] Any activity requiring agility and skill |
Noun: [As a singular or plural noun] Spectacular or dangerous maneuvers, such as loops or rolls, performed in an aircraft or glider
|
Noun: Vigorous exercises, such as swimming or walking, designed to strengthen the heart and lungs [Functioning as singular] Any system of sustained exercises designed to increase the amount of oxygen in the blood and strengthen the heart and lungs |
| Examples: | ||
| Noun: She sealed the title with a powerful display of acrobatics and tumbling. Only true masters know how to make this type of verbal acrobatics seem easy. The cash-strapped country may resort to financial acrobatics to scrape through the rest of the year. They engaged in a duel of vocal acrobatics. “From the kitchen Saxon heard him painfully wrestling strange vocal acrobatics” (London). |
Noun: I used to go along as a passenger when Rick worked on his aerobatics. “First, even with aerobatics involved, the highest risk of tearing up your airplane is on landing, particularly loss of control during rollout” (Durden). “Parisian skies echoed with the thundering sound of the PAF JF-17 as it took off for a spectacular aerobatics display on the opening day of 53rd International Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Paris on Tuesday” (Web). |
Noun: Examples of recommended moderate exercises include swimming, brisk walking, and low-impact aerobics. “Residents of Kaloleni Estate in Nairobi are reaping big from free aerobics training sessions after the reclamation of the Kaloleni handball ground, which served as a dumpsite for over 30 years” (Anene). She became an aerobics instructor at the age of forty. |
| Derivatives: | ||
| Adjective: semiacrobatic Adverb: acrobatically Noun: acrobat |
Adjective: aerobatic | Adjective: aerobic Noun: aerobicist |
| History of the Word: | ||
| It was first recorded in 1880–85 from an origin of acrobatic + -ics. It’s from the Greek acros, meaning extreme, and bates meaning walk or move forward. | First World War, from aero- + a shortened form of acrobatics. | It was first recorded in 1965–70 and probably shortened from aerobic exercises on the model of calisthenics. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
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Resources for Acrobatics vs Aerobatics vs Aerobics
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Anene, Geoffrey. “Zoezi Mtaani Initiative Counting Gains in Kaloleni..” Nation. Updated 4 July 2020. Web. DATE. <https://nation.africa/kenya/sports/other-sports/zoezi-mtaani-initiative-counting-gains-in-kaloleni-139384>.
Apple Dictionary.com
Durden, Rick. “Aerobatic Cruisers: All-Purpose Fun.” The Aviation Consumer. 1 July 2019. Web. 24 Apr 2023. <https://www.aviationconsumer.com/aircraftreviews/aerobatic-cruisers-all-purpose-fun/>.
The Free Dictionary: acrobatics, aerobatics, aerobics
London, Jack. The Valley of the Moon. chapt 18. Originally published 1913. SeaWolf Press, 2017. <https://amzn.to/3ov5zLJ>. Print.
Web Desk. “Parisian Skies Reverberate with the Roaring JF-17 Thunder.” The News. 19 June 2019. Web. 24 Apr 2023. <https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/486517-parisian-skies-reverberate-with-the-roaring-jf-17-thunder>.
Pinterest Photo Credits
Die Barnum & Bailey groesste Schaustellung der Welt : Der Welt grösstes, grossartigstes, bestes Amusements-Institut is under the CC0 1.0 license courtesy of the Digital Commonwealth, via RawPixel.
