break (one's) fall
(redirected from broke my fall)break (one's) fall
To interrupt, prevent, or soften one's fall, either physically or figuratively. She stumbled off the balcony, but luckily, a hedge below her broke her fall. Be careful not to alienate your friends as you climb to the top of the company, because if things don't work out, you'll have no one there to break your fall.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
break someone's fall
to cushion a falling person; to lessen the impact of a falling person. When the little boy fell out of the window, the bushes broke his fall. The old lady slipped on the ice, but a snowbank broke her fall.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
break one's fall
Interrupt a tumble or descent, as in It's a long way down over this cliff, with nothing to break your fall. [Mid-1800s]
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.