fall (up)on (someone or something)
1. Literally, to fall down or topple over and strike someone or something. You can't just chuck stuff out the window like that. It might fall on someone outside! The box tumbled off the shelf and fell upon the ground with a huge crash. I slipped on the ice and fell on my knees. Luckily, I only got a few scrapes.
2. To collapse, crumble, or cave in on someone or something. The firefighters were able to get those kids out of the house before the roof fell on them. When the kids' makeshift tent fell upon the cat, she bolted out from under it at once. Yikes, given how unstable the foundation is, I'm amazed the whole house hasn't fallen on you guys yet.
3. To strike or attack someone or something. We advanced and fell upon the enemy troops. Jacob fell on the man with a series of blows to his face. The two boys fell upon each other until the teacher arrived to break up the fight.
4. To experience something. When I lost my job, I really fell on hard times financially. No one is prepared to fall on hardship like this—that's why the community wants to help. He certainly fell upon an awful time after his wife's sudden death.
5. To become someone's sole task or responsibility. My husband's been away all week, so all of the household chores have fallen on me. Unfortunately, because of my broken leg, it's fallen upon the kids to hang the Christmas lights outside. I know it'll fall on me to plan Thanksgiving dinner, as always.
6. To unexpectedly find or realize something. Once I stopped obsessing about the problem, I fell upon a solution. Naturally, I fell upon that missing box of Christmas ornaments as soon as I stopped looking for it. Please tell me you've fallen on an explanation for the experiment's continued failure.
7. To occur on a particular day or date. Easter falls on the 12th of April this year. The final exam fell right on my birthday, so I wasn't exactly able to spend the whole day celebrating. Does Thanksgiving always fall upon a Thursday?
8. To be received with some reaction, especially one of disinterest, dismissal, or inaction. (Usually used in the phrase "fall (up)on deaf ears," or something similar.) They hold their protest outside the facility every weekend, even though they know their words are likely falling on deaf ears. I could tell our presentation was falling upon disinterested eyes. It doesn't matter how convincing you think your pitch is if it falls on deaf ears.
fall on(to) (someone or something)
1. To drop onto someone or something. Aw man, that picture fell on the floor, and the frame broke. Tommy slipped off the branch of the tree and fell onto his brother below. When he crawled under the Christmas tree to water it, various ornaments fell on his head.
2. To strike or attack someone or something. We advanced and fell onto the enemy troops. Jacob fell on the man with a series of blows to his face. If you scare that feral cat, it's liable to fall on you and scratch you all up.
3. To experience something. When I lost my job, I really fell on hard times financially. No one is prepared to fall onto hardship like this—that's why the community wants to help. He certainly fell on an awful time after his wife's sudden death.
4. To become someone's task or responsibility. My husband's been away all week, so all of the household chores have fallen onto me. Unfortunately, because of my broken leg, it's fallen on the kids to hang the Christmas lights outside. I know it'll fall on me to plan Thanksgiving dinner, as always.
5. To unexpectedly find or realize something. Once I stopped obsessing about the problem, I was able to fall on a solution right away. Naturally, I fell on that missing box of Christmas ornaments as soon as I stopped looking for it. Please tell me you've fallen onto an explanation for the experiment's continued failure.
6. To occur on a particular day or date. (In this usage, only "fall on" can be used.) Easter falls on the 12th of April this year. The final exam fell right on my birthday, so I wasn't exactly able to spend the whole day celebrating. Does Thanksgiving always fall on a Thursday?
7. To be received with some reaction, especially one of disinterest, dismissal, or inaction. (Usually used in the phrase "fall on(to) deaf ears," or something similar.) They hold their protest outside the facility every weekend, even though they know their words are likely falling onto deaf ears. I could tell our presentation was falling on disinterested eyes. It doesn't matter how convincing you think your pitch is if it falls on deaf ears.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
fall on
Also, fall upon.
1. Attack suddenly and viciously, as in They fell on the guards and overpowered them. [c. 1400]
2. Meet with, encounter, as in They fell on hard times. [Late 1500s]
3. Find by chance, discover, as in We fell upon the idea last Saturday night. [Mid-1600s]
4. Be the responsibility or duty of someone, as in It fell on Clara to support the entire family. [Mid-1800s] Also see the subsequent idioms beginning with fall on.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.