fall down

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fall down

1. To drop or fall from a particular place or height. Lucy fell down at the playground and scraped her knee. One of the picture frames fell down last night—that was the noise you heard.

2. To fail to do something adequately or as expected. To convey this meaning, the phrase "fall down on the job" is often used. It was the government's duty to make sure their citizens were protected from a financial disaster like this, but they've fallen down on the job. Jeez, what a glaring mistake. It looks like someone fell down on the job.

See also: down, fall

fall down

to drop or topple. The baby fell down. Walk carefully on this ice or you will fall down.

See also: down, fall

fall down

Fail to meet expectations; lag in performance. For example, It was disappointing to see him fall down on the job. This expression transfers a literal drop to a figurative one. [Second half of 1800s]

See also: down, fall

fall down

To drop or tip over: I slipped on the ice and fell down the steps. A lot of trees fell down during the hurricane.

See also: down, fall

References in periodicals archive ?

It appeared that a lot of soot had fallen down the chimney.

Soot-fall 'blast' wrecks fire unit

Officers were told that the boy had fallen down the stairs and then stopped breathing.

Couple quizzed in toddler death

The victim is understood to have fallen down the lift shaft, from the lobby to the basement.

Man injured after hotel lift shaft fall

Passers-by said they heard a loud scream and turned round to see the woman had fallen down the hole outside a cafe in Fulham, west London.

Woman and her trolley plunge down hole

The man had fallen down the four-metre deep hatch and become trapped inside.

Man trapped in hatch fall

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Durham coroner Andrew Tweddle said he was "quite satisfied Edwin has stumbled under the influence of alcohol and fallen down a steep hillside".