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Ok, how to express these actions in English "lean over with your butt up"?

look at these pictures:

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and many are paying in that position

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  • What is your usual everyday language, and how would you call this position in that language? (My UEL is German, and I do not have a word for this; I would need to describe it verbously.) Commented Dec 12, 2019 at 13:27
  • PS Note that there is a term prostration and to prostrate, usually used in religious contexts, but this traditionally would rather mean laying flat down on earth, not butt-up. As far as I know. Also, prostration related to a baby would probably be an odd choice. Commented Dec 12, 2019 at 13:31

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"Lean over" doesn't seem the right expression at all - that implies only a slight incline from what would be your normal position. While your pictures show common positions that babies and toddlers get into, they are not really 'normal' positions (ie standing or sitting). You could perhaps say "bend over", which implies bending your body further, but that still doesn't quite fully describe what is in the photos.

As baby and toddler development is very heavily documented, there may be a standardised medical definition for these positions, but in plain English, I would simply say:

Pushing their bottom up.

It is not possible to push your bottom "up" into the air without lowering the rest of your upper body, so saying more than that, unless necessary, seems pointless.

If you wanted to be clearer about the position they were in, then I would say of your last photo:

Pushing their bottom up whilst lying on their front.

And for the other two:

Putting their hands to the floor and pushing their bottom up.

Note that I've used the word 'bottom', which is polite British English for the posterior - you could 'butt'(American slang) or 'bum' (also British English slang).


The last picture, which wasn't there when I originally answered, is something very different. The term for someone praying in that position is prostrate.

As this term implies deliberately putting yourself into the position to show reverence, it doesn't seem right for the examples involving babies and toddlers. Babies sleep in the position depicted for comfort, because they derive comfort from having their legs up into their bodies.

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  • What about those who are praying in that position (see the last picture I have just added)? how to express it? I don't think we use "push the bottom up"
    – Tom
    Commented Dec 12, 2019 at 10:03
  • @Tom The last picture, which wasn't there when I answered, is something very different. The term for someone praying in that position is prostrate.
    – Astralbee
    Commented Dec 12, 2019 at 10:04
  • could you update your answer a little bit?
    – Tom
    Commented Dec 12, 2019 at 10:05
  • @Tom I've added the substance of my last comment into the answer.
    – Astralbee
    Commented Dec 12, 2019 at 10:08

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