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单词 fall
释义

falln.1

Brit. /fɔːl/, U.S. /fɔl/, /fɑl/, Scottish English /fɔ/
Forms: Old English fæll- (inflected form, rare), Old English fealle, Old English–Middle English falle, late Old English (in compounds)–Middle English felle, Middle English fale (in compounds), Middle English ffell, 1500s faul (in compounds), 1500s–1700s fal (in compounds), 1500s– fall, 1600s ffall; also Scottish pre-1700 fall, 1700s–1800s fa', 1800s–1900s faw, 1800s– fa (in compounds).
Origin: A word inherited from Germanic. Etymon: fall door n.
Etymology: Cognate with Middle Dutch valle (Dutch val ), Old Saxon falla (Middle Low German valle ), Old High German falla (Middle High German valle , German Falle ), and (with different stem class) Old Icelandic fella , Old Swedish (Swedish) fälla , Danish fælde (all in sense ‘trap’) < the Germanic base of fall v. From later 15th cent. onwards reinterpreted as a sense of fall n.2 (compare also pitfall n., fall trap n.). In sense 2 perhaps shortened < fall door n.In Old English a weak feminine (fealle).
Now rare (chiefly Scottish in later use).
1. A trap, a snare (literal and figurative). Cf. deadfall n., mousefall n., pitfall n., rottan-fall n. at rottan n. Compounds 2, spring-fall n.2, trapfall n.In later use sometimes used spec. to denote a particular kind of trap whose action involves falling in some way, as the falling of a trapdoor or heavy weight. Sc. National Dict. (at Fa) records this sense as still in use in Shetland, Caithness, Aberdeen, and Ayrshire in 1950.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > hunting > equipment > trap or snare > [noun] > trap for vermin
falleOE
mousefalleOE
stockc1175
mouse stocka1225
mousecatcha1382
mousetrap1440
rat trap1469
Samson's post1577
whipa1589
eOE Corpus Gloss. (1890) 40/1 Decipula, bisuic, falle.
OE Aldhelm Glosses (Brussels 1650) in L. Goossens Old Eng. Glosses of MS Brussels, Royal Libr. 1650 (1974) 459 [Strofosam muliebris audaciae] muscipulam : laqueum, feallan.
Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 147 Falle, or mows trappe, muscipula, decipula.
a1500 R. Henryson tr. Æsop Fables: Two Mice l. 251 in Poems (1981) 13 Off cat, na fall, na trap, I haue na dreid.
a1589 L. Mascall Bk. Engines in Bk. Fishing (1590) 65 This Engine is called a fall or trappe to take Buzardes and Kytes.
1788 E. Picken Poems & Epist. 45 Ane [mouse] grip't the bait, the fa' play'd sneck, An' catch't the hero by the neck.
1823 J. D. Hunter Mem. Captivity 114 I had constructed several falls..in the vicinity of the beaver houses.
1841 J. Paton Coll. Orig. Songs 34 Wi' monnie a well made milkin' boyn, Flails, faws for catching mice.
?1910 W. Carnegie How to trap & Snare 2 The mere putting down of a trap, a snare, a fall, or a hingle without full knowledge of what has to be caught and what has to be done to catch it.
1916 G. Blaik Rustic Rhymes 171 Dauve says he'll gang an' get a faw.
†2. A kind of trapdoor used in the construction of a trap (see quot. 1771). Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > hunting > equipment > trap or snare > [noun] > door of
door-fall1624
fall1768
fall-down1853
1768 R. Smith Universal Directory Rats 120 Let it [sc. the cage] be nine inches in length by nine wide..with a fall in it at one end and a door in the other.
1771 ‘A Farmer’ Multum in Parvo 11 Let the wire-maker make a wire cage..with a Fall at each end, and one on each side. [Note] By a Fall is meant a wire door, hung at the top instead of the side.
1858 J. Rodwell Rat ii. xi. 252 This cage should have a fall at one end for them [sc. rats] to run in at, and a door at the other, to empty them out into the store cage.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2017; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

falln.2

Brit. /fɔːl/, U.S. /fɔl/, /fɑl/
Forms: Old English feall, early Middle English fael (south-west midlands), early Middle English fæl (south-west midlands), early Middle English ual (south-west midlands), early Middle English uall (south-west midlands), early Middle English uæl (south-west midlands), early Middle English val (south-west midlands), early Middle English vall (south-eastern), Middle English ffal, Middle English ffalle, Middle English valle (southern), Middle English–1600s falle, Middle English–1700s fal, Middle English– fall, 1500s faule, 1500s foll, 1500s–1600s ffall; English regional 1800s fa (northern), 1800s faal (northern), 1800s fale (Lincolnshire), 1800s fau' (Lancashire), 1800s fo' (northern), 1800s vall (south-western); Scottish pre-1700 fal, pre-1700 1700s– fall, pre-1700 1800s– faw, pre-1700 1900s– fa, 1700s– fa', 1900s– faa.
Origin: A word inherited from Germanic.
Etymology: Cognate with Old Frisian fal , fel , fol (West Frisian fal ), Middle Dutch (Dutch) val , Old Saxon fall (Middle Low German val ), Old High German fal (Middle High German val , German Fall ), Old Icelandic fall , Old Swedish fal (Swedish fall ), Old Danish, Danish fald < the same Germanic base as fall v. In Old English occurring as a by-form (without i-mutation, after feallan fall v.) of fiell , a strong masculine i -stem noun derived from the same Germanic base, showing i-mutation of the stem vowel (compare Old Frisian fel and forms of the Old High German noun such as instrumental singular falliu ). Compare onfall n.Old English (early West Saxon) fiell , (late West Saxon) fyll , is represented in Anglian by fæll (with retraction instead of breaking). The Anglian form could be continued in west midland forms of fall n.2 (compare discussion at fell v.), but the absence of forms with e suggests that the Middle English noun shows the alteration after fall v. in all its forms. The mutated form (i.e. fiell , etc.) is attested more frequently in Old English in senses 1a and 4a, and is attested earlier in senses 2a, 5, 8a, 17, and 27a. Beside the strong masculine nouns Old English also has a rare prefixed (probably) strong neuter noun gefeall (compare y- prefix), without i-mutation. The prefixed noun is attested in Old English in sense 8a and also (in the compound waterfall n.) in sense 27a. Some senses of the Middle English noun may therefore partly continue aphetic forms of gefeall . With sense 4a compare also Old English onfeall onfall n. Specific senses. In some senses after classical Latin cāsus case n.1 (compare senses 13b, 21, and also 6, 17a, 18, 24), or classical Latin lapsus lapse n. (compare sense 5, and also 17a). With fall of man at sense 5b compare post-classical Latin lapsus humani generis (6th cent.; from 13th cent. in British sources); with fall of Adam at sense 5b compare post-classical Latin lapsus Adam (also lapsus Adami , 5th cent.; from 12th cent. in British sources). In sense 13a after classical Latin occāsus setting of the sun or another celestial object (see occase n.). In sense 20 after post-classical Latin cadentia (see cadence n. and compare foreign-language forms cited at that entry). Earlier currency of sense 23a is implied by post-classical Latin falla (also fallum) square measure of land, also linear measure (from 1211 in British sources; < English).
I. The action or an act of falling down from an upright position, and related senses.
* Concrete senses.
1.
a. The collapse or falling to the ground of a building, wall, fortification, tree, etc.In quot. c1225 as part of an extended metaphor.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > falling > [noun] > collapsing
fallOE
ruinc1405
collapsiona1619
effusion1726
collapsing1789
collapse1833
OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Luke (headings to readings) lv Ait omnes..similiter perituros uel sicut illi decem et octo ruina turris oppressi : cuoeð alle..gelic þætte hia woero deado uel sua ða tene & æhto feallo torres foretreden.
OE Wærferð tr. Gregory Dialogues (Otho) (1900) ii. xv. 134 Ond eac eal þe getimbr[u] þisse burge we geseoð mid longre eldunge gewacode, ond swiðe forð hi wæron gehrorene mid gelomlicum feallum [OE Corpus Cambr. fyllum; L. ruinis].
c1225 (?c1200) St. Juliana (Bodl.) l. 712 (MED) Leaueð ower unlahan, & buldes up o treowe eorðe þet ne dredeð na ual for wind ne for wedere.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 28853 A wall Bateild fast wit-vten fall.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) Matt. vii. f. ixv That housse..was over throwen, and great was the fall off it.
1576 A. Fleming tr. Hippocrates in Panoplie Epist. 282 Some are slaine with the soudaine ruine and fall of a bancke.
1633 T. Stafford Pacata Hibernia iii. viii. 315 With the fall of that Tower, many of the Rebels were buried therein.
1676 E. Stillingfleet Def. Disc. Idolatry ii. ii. 523 The kindness done by Hadrian to Nicomedia in the restoring of it after its fall by an earthquake.
1757 tr. J. G. Keyssler Trav. II. 311 He relates the fall of one of these wooden structures at Fidena.
1841 E. W. Lane tr. Thousand & One Nights I. 109 The other by a fall of a house.
1890 Sandusky (Ohio) Daily Reg. 2 July Blowing quite a gale and..felling a large hollow tree, crushing in its fall one of the picnic tables and two benches.
1940 Univ. Pennsylvania Law Rev. 88 1021 There is merely a potentiality of future liability dependent on the building's fall.
1980 Lethbridge (Alberta) Herald 4 July b4/5 They..cited incidents of close escapes in the fall of the three-storey structure.
2004 U.S. News & World Rep. 2 Aug. 34/1 The fall of the Berlin Wall was still fresh in the public mind.
b. Cricket. The loss of a wicket. Also used to refer to the point when a particular wicket is lost.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > dismissal of batsman > [noun] > fall of wicket
fall1840
1840 Bell's Life in London 30 Aug. After the fall of seven wickets time was called by the umpires.
1871 ‘Thomsonby’ Cricketers in Council 30 Swiping..or rushing far out of your ground to meet the ball..are equally certain to result in the ultimate fall of your wicket.
1966 Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 10 Mar. 20/4 The batsman had to retire, but was back at the fall of the eighth wicket.
2000 Observer 18 June (Sport section) 10/3 The collapse was so rapid that the bookies didn't have time to lengthen the odds after the fall of one wicket before another one had tumbled.
2016 Daily Times (Pakistan) (Nexis) 4 Feb. Mohsin..was on 61 at the fall of the seventh wicket.
†c. Real Tennis. The second bounce of a ball on the floor of the court after it has been struck. Cf. fall v. 10. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
?1870 Popular Educator (rev. ed.) V. 272/2 The game requires a marker, whose duty it is to note carefully the fall of the balls, and to call the chaces correctly.
1900 G. E. A. Ross in A. E. T. Watson Young Sportsman 609 The second contact of the ball with the floor, called the fall of the ball, at any point where chase-lines are painted.
2.
a. With reference to a person or animal: the action or an act of falling to the ground as a consequence of stumbling, losing balance, becoming unconscious, dizzy, or weak, etc.See also to catch a fall at Phrases 3, to take a fall at Phrases 2a.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > falling > [noun] > falling down or from erect position (animates)
falla1400
ruin1483
tumbling?1523
cast1530
tumble1716
spilla1845
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 537 Hijs fete him bers up fra fall.
Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 147 Fal, casus, lapsus.
1543 B. Traheron tr. J. de Vigo Most Excellent Wks. Chirurg. iii. i. iv. f. lxxxviiv/1 Oftentymes by a falle, or by some stroke the scull..is broken in sondrie sortes.
1576 A. Fleming tr. Hippocrates in Panoplie Epist. 285 They cannot avoyd the fall whereof they be in danger.
1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. iii. 82 Onely apprehended by a fall in his flight.
1654 Mercurius Fumigosus No. 3. 21 In walking abroad late, I got a fall in the streets.
?1747 Brit. Mag. 360 He struck up his Heels, and by the Violence of his fall put out his Shoulder.
1796 Monthly Mirror Dec. 505 One of the skaiter's [sic] collar bone was broke by a fall in trying to do the outside edge.
1809 W. Irving Hist. N.Y. II. vi. vii. 149 Risingh..hastened to take advantage of the hero's fall.
1853 E. Bulwer-Lytton My Novel I. iii. ii. 176 He felt the shock of his fall the more, after the few paces he had walked.
1907 Xenia (Ohio) Daily Gaz. 29 Apr. 5/3 Mrs. Laura Cramer slipped on the cement walk and is somewhat bruised by the fall.
1948 R. D. Altick Cowden Clarkes xiv. 193 A bad fall she had had in Nice had, luckily, left no permanent effects.
2014 Halesowen News (Nexis) 24 Feb. My 80-year-old mother had a nasty fall, on the path outside the chip shop.
b. Wrestling.
(a) Originally: the fact of being thrown to the ground, or on one's back, by an opponent. Later more usually: a throw or other move which keeps an opponent on the ground for a specified time, or in a specified position (see, e.g., quot. 1974), the player who has achieved this being regarded as having won a given bout. See also to give (a person) a fall at Phrases 1. Cf. foil n.2 1, submission n. 5.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > fighting sports > wrestling > [noun] > manoeuvres
swengOE
turn?c1225
castc1400
trip1412
fall?a1425
foil1553
collar1581
lock1598
faulx1602
fore-hip1602
forward1602
inturn1602
mare1602
hug1617
disembracement1663
buttock1688
throw1698
back-lock1713
cross-buttock1713
flying horse1713
in holds1713
buttocker1823
chip1823
dogfall1823
cross-buttocker1827
hitch1834
bear hug1837
backfall1838
stop1840
armlock1841
side hug1842
click1846
catch-hold1849
back-breaker1867
back-click1867
snap1868
hank1870
nelson1873
headlock1876
chokehold1886
stranglehold1886
hip lock1888
heave1889
strangle1890
pinfall1894
strangler's grip1895
underhold1895
hammer-lock1897
scissor hold1897
body slam1899
scissors hold1899
armbar1901
body scissors1903
scissors grip1904
waist-hold1904
neck hold1905
scissors1909
hipe1914
oshi1940
oshi-dashi1940
oshi-taoshi1940
pindown1948
lift1958
whip1958
Boston crab1961
grapevine1968
powerbomb1990
?a1425 (c1390) G. Chaucer Truth (BL Add. 10340) (1879) l. 16 Þe wrestlyng for þe worlde axeþ a fal.
?1521 A. Barclay Bk. Codrus & Mynalcas sig. a.iiv Ofte were we wont, to wrastell for a fall.
1553 R. Eden in tr. S. Münster Treat. Newe India Ded. sig. aaiijv Not for one foyle or fal, so to be dismayd.
1609 Bp. W. Barlow Answer Catholike English-man 218 Some say, that Pericles had that skil in wrastling, that though hee receiued a fall, yet hee would perswade the wrastler that cast him..that hee was the Conqueror notwithstanding.
1686 J. Dryden Duchess of York's Paper Defended 125 As three Foils will go towards a Fall in Wrastling.
1734 Court Oracle 47 He in Wrestling got a second Fall.
1827 Morning Chron. 25 Sept. Had side falls been allowed to be counted, the bets would have been equal.
1890 W. Armstrong Wrestling (new ed.) iii. 39 They struggle, writhe, and twist for hours together before obtaining a fall.
1939 C. H. Madge & T. H. Harrisson Brit. by Mass-observ. (2009) iv. 115 His opponent may..continue wrestling to obtain a fall or submission.
1974 Rules of Game 48/5 The fall... Both shoulders must be in contact with the mat for a count of three.
2006 Officiating Wrestling (Amer. Sport Educ. Program) xi. 116 The sound of the gong determines whether the fall counts.
(b) A bout at wrestling (with another person). Chiefly with particular verbs, as to go (also †shake, try, wrestle) a fall, etc. Frequently figurative and in extended use.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > dissent > contention or strife > contend [verb (intransitive)]
winc888
fightc900
flitec900
wraxlec1000
wrestlea1200
cockc1225
conteckc1290
strivec1290
struta1300
topc1305
to have, hold, make, take strifec1374
stightlea1375
debatec1386
batea1400
strugglec1412
hurlc1440
ruffle1440
warc1460
warslea1500
pingle?a1513
contend1529
repugn1529
scruggle1530
sturtc1535
tuga1550
broilc1567
threap1572
yoke1581
bustle1585
bandy1594
tilt1595
combat1597
to go (also shake, try, wrestle) a fall1597
mutiny1597
militate1598
combatizec1600
scuffle1601
to run (or ride) a-tilt1608
wage1608
contesta1618
stickle1625
conflict1628
stickle1647
dispute1656
fence1665
contrast1672
scramble1696
to battle it1715
rug1832
grabble1835
buffet1839
tussle1862
pickeer1892
passage1895
tangle1928
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > fighting sports > wrestling > [noun] > bout
thro1303
wrestling1303
pulla1400
fall1597
wrestling pull1602
wrestle1670
wrestling-matcha1684
warslec1811
1597 N. Breton Wil of Wit f. 3v I will see if you be weary or not, I must trie a fall with you.
a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) i. ii. 192 You shall trie but one fall . View more context for this quotation
1645 R. Baillie Let. 17 June (1841) II. 281 We must wrestle a fall with some kind of creatures.
1676 C. Cotton Compleat Angler (1836) II. ii. vi. 371 Let him [sc. a fish] come, I'll try a fall with him.
1768 A. Ross Fortunate Shepherdess i. 141 Fu' o' good nature..And kibble grown at shaking of a fa'.
1805 R. Anderson Ballads in Cumberland Dial. 59 At rustlin, whilk o' them dare try him a faw?
1818 Edinb. Mag. & Literary Misc. Sept. 237/2 He would shake a fall with his opponent, and vanquish him.
1855 C. Kingsley Heroes (1868) ii. iii. 216 I must wrestle a fall with him.
1883 Standard 24 Mar. 3/7 The final falls were wrestled between Moffatt and Kennedy.
1931 Cosmopolitan July 166/2 With it [sc. money], before all was done, he would try a fall with Robespierre himself.
1955 Corpus Christi (Texas) Times 3 June 2/1 [He] is the champion wrestler of Lake County, and would be willing to go a fall or two with her sometime in July.
1975 J. Clagett World Unknown (2002) xv. 228 He would race there, and wrestle a few falls with Turbo.
1992 J. Roberson Lady of Forest xvi. 131 A red-tunicked man stepped out of the crowd, brandished a purse, and challenged the next brave soul to go a fall with the giant.
2008 J. Capouya Gorgeous George ii. 17 Don Leo Jonathan, a six-foot-six, three-hundred-pound heavyweight from Utah..went a few falls with the Gorgeous One.
†c. An act of sexual intercourse. Obsolete.With quot. 1594 cf. to give (a person) a fall at Phrases 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > [noun] > sexual intercourse > an act of
swivec1560
fall1594
sleep1612
fuck1663
merry bout1780
stroke1785
screw?c1845
charver1846
fuckeea1866
sex act1888
frigc1890
grind1893
mount1896
poke1902
tumble1903
screwing1904
ride1905
roll1910
trick1926
lay1932
jump1934
bang1937
knock1937
shag1937
a roll in the hay1945
boff1956
naughty1959
root1961
shtup1964
home run1967
seeing to1970
legover1975
bonk1978
zatch1980
boink1989
1594 T. Lodge Wounds Ciuill War iv. sig. K A souldier of yours vpon a bed of flowers, gaue her such a fall, as she lost her maidenhead and all.
1633 J. Shirley Bird in Cage iii. i. sig. E4 Madam, this fellow is an abhominable Lecher, there is no scaping him without a fall.
1699 T. Brown Let. 12 Sept. in J. Dryden et al. tr. V. de Voiture Familiar Lett. (1700) i. 199 The Ladies, who saw this Prodegy of a Man, long'd to try a Fall with him in Private.
d. An act of controlled falling, as forming part of the repertoire of movements in some forms of modern dance.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > dancing > modern dance > [noun] > movements
fall1935
1935 E. Selden Dancer's Quest vi. 115 It is now a far cry from the simple drag step..with which Isadora [Duncan] began the ‘Funeral March’..her stamps, so classically perfect and measured; and her slow sinking, and the fall. The falls of the Duncans were magnificent, especially those that came out of flying leaps.
1936 J. J. Martin Amer. Dancing x. 212 All movement can be considered to be a series of falls and recoveries; that is, a deliberate unbalance in order to progress.
1976 Salmagundi Spring 160 A section in Aeon is concluded by the dancers moving off stage in unison with high jumps and falls.
2005 L. Ashley Dance Theory in Pract. for Teachers 40/1 Falls are a characteristic movement feature of the contemporary dance genre.
3.
a. A felling of trees; the timber cut down in a particular place at one time, or in one season. Now rare (chiefly English regional in later use).In quot. 1535 perhaps: a tree ready for felling (but cf. sense 34).
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > forestry or arboriculture > lumbering > [noun] > felling trees
fallinga1425
felling1447
fell1531
fall1535
woodfall1588
slaughter1657
logging1706
tree-felling1759
fallage1788
slashing1822
fellage1839
wood-cutting1872
throw1879
bush-falling1882
drive1899
bushwhacking1906
clear-cutting1922
coupe1922
landnam1950
the world > food and drink > farming > forestry or arboriculture > lumbering > [noun] > felling trees > quantity felled
ploughbote1398
fall1535
hag1535
succisiona1626
fell1767
cut1807
felling1885
cutting1902
1535 in J. W. Clay Testamenta Eboracensia (1902) VI. 48 Suche yearlie and usuall hagges and falles as have beene yearlie accustomed to bee felled, kidded and solde.
1555 L. Digges Prognostication Right Good Effect sig. Eii Some gather the fall of tymbre at the change [of the Moone].
1572 in W. H. Stevenson Rec. Borough Nottingham (1889) IV. 141 In wyne iij. quartes..fetched..when the falle was appoynted xij d.
1614 I. D. in T. Overbury et al. Wife now Widdow Newes from Very Country sig. G2 Iustices of peace haue the felling of vnderwoods, but the Lords haue the great falls.
1649 W. Blith Eng. Improver xxii. 133 At every Fall..take a good..growing of Ash or Willow.
1707 London Gaz. No. 4373/4 The Fall of above 130 Acres of Wood Land..are to be sold.
1758 London Chron. 26 Aug. 193/3 This forest will afford a fall of timber every year, for ten years together.
1864 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 25 ii. 314 Beech woods..are periodically thinned, and the fall used by wheelers and..chair-makers.
1879 G. F. Jackson Shropshire Word-bk. (at cited word) The young Squire..'e'll fall a sight of timber; an' a grand fall theer'll be.
1893 G. D. Leslie Lett. to Marco xxxviii. 253 What is called a ‘fall’ or cutting of timber for sale..can be taken nearly every three or four years.
1914 Spectator 16 May 828/2 I..was taken to a forest near Cleobury Mortimer in which a fall of oak had recently been made.
1941 H. J. Massingham Fall of Year vi. 209 In the winter the bodger buys off an estate a ‘fall’ of timber.
1974 W. Leeds Herefordshire Speech 61 Fall, the felling of a tree.
†b. Forestry. A notch made on one side of the trunk of a tree which is to be felled, indicating the direction in which the tree is intended to fall; = fall notch n. at Compounds 4. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > forestry or arboriculture > [noun] > pruning or lopping > cut made in pruning
lance1669
fall1893
notch1916
1893 G. D. Leslie Lett. to Marco xxxviii. 253 Then what they called the fall was made; this was a larger and deeper notch on the side the tree was intended to fall... When the fall had been carefully cut with the axe, a long, narrow saw was worked through the stem.
** Figurative and abstract senses.
4.
a. The fact of being struck down by calamity or disease, in battle, etc., or of losing a position of power or authority; death, destruction; overthrow. Cf. downfall n. 1a. [In quot. OE in the compound wælfeall death in battle, slaughter (compare wal n.). Compare the more common wælfiell and also Old Icelandic valfall.]
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > death > [noun]
hensithOE
qualmOE
bale-sithea1000
endingc1000
fallOE
forthsitheOE
soulingOE
life's endOE
deathOE
hethensithc1200
last end?c1225
forthfarec1275
dying1297
finec1300
partingc1300
endc1305
deceasec1330
departc1330
starving1340
passingc1350
latter enda1382
obita1382
perishingc1384
carrion1387
departing1388
finishmentc1400
trespassement14..
passing forthc1410
sesse1417
cess1419
fininga1425
resolutiona1425
departisona1450
passagea1450
departmentc1450
consummation?a1475
dormition1483
debt to (also of) naturea1513
dissolutionc1522
expirationa1530
funeral?a1534
change1543
departure1558
last change1574
transmigration1576
dissolving1577
shaking of the sheets?1577
departance1579
deceasure1580
mortality1582
deceasing1591
waftage1592
launching1599
quietus1603
doom1609
expire1612
expiring1612
period1613
defunctiona1616
Lethea1616
fail1623
dismissiona1631
set1635
passa1645
disanimation1646
suffering1651
abition1656
Passovera1662
latter (last) end1670
finis1682
exitus1706
perch1722
demission1735
demise1753
translation1760
transit1764
dropping1768
expiry1790
departal1823
finish1826
homegoing1866
the last (also final, great) round-up1879
snuffing1922
fade-out1924
thirty1929
appointment in Samarra1934
dirt nap1981
big chill1987
the world > action or operation > failure or lack of success > defeat or overthrow > [noun]
fallOE
confusionc1290
discomfiturea1400
castc1400
overthrowc1440
confoundinga1450
jeofail1546
prostitution1567
lurch1584
worsting1607
unhorsing1608
supplantation1617
defeat1676
overset1789
punishment1811
overthrowal1862
beating1883
unhorsement1884
whoop-ass1974
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > [noun] > overthrow of a person, institution, belief, etc.
fallOE
confusionc1290
subversiona1325
overthrowingc1330
overturninga1398
downcasta1400
wrackc1400
downcastingc1425
eversionc1425
profligationc1475
demolitionc1550
overturec1555
wreck1577
overturnc1592
racking?1689
upsetting1827
subversal1843
demolishment1884
OE Beowulf (2008) 1711 Ne geweox he him to willan, ac to wælfealle ond to deaðcwalum Deniga leodum.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 319 Þaet ne mihte þes kinges folc of heom fael makien.
a1439 J. Lydgate Fall of Princes (Bodl. 263) iv. l. 1111 Myn auctour Iohn Bochas Was meued..To write the falle of Calistenes.
1534 T. Lupset tr. St. Isidore Gathered Counsailes f. vii Who so euer ioyeth in the fall of his ennemie, he shal soone fall in the same.
c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 122 Þi falle I dessyre.
1611 Bible (King James) Judith viii. 19 Our fathers..had a great fall before our enemies. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare King John (1623) iii. iv. 141 But what shall I gaine by yong Arthurs fall ? View more context for this quotation
1659 B. Harris in tr. J. N. de Parival Hist. Iron Age (ed. 2) Contin. 322 Now happened the fall of one of the greatest men in Europe..Oliver Cromwell.
1726 A. Pope tr. Homer Odyssey V. xxii. 492 There compass'd close between the dome and wall,..they trembling wait their fall.
1765 H. Walpole Let. 10 June in Corr. (1941) X. 157 Some secret wishes for the fall of the present murderess [i.e. Catherine II].
1842 T. B. Macaulay Battle Lake Regillus in Lays Anc. Rome 119 And women rent their tresses For their great prince's fall.
1876 L. D. Schmitz tr. H. Ulrici Shakespeare's Dramatic Art I. iv. vii. 447 Her tragic fall does not appear at all in proportion with the degree of her wrong-doing.
1905 C. A. Conant Princ. Money & Banking II. v. vi. 263 The bank made a serious effort to resume specie payments after the final fall of Napoleon.
1941 Philos. Sci. 8 162 The fall of the tragic hero may mean that fate is relentless.
1988 M. M. Salehi Insurgency through Culture & Relig. ix. 151 By taking over the radio stations, the revolutionaries announced the fall of the regime and the victory of the Revolution on February 2, 1979.
2001 A. Malamat Hist. Biblical Israel vi. 81 The two..descriptions of the fall of King Saul on Mount Gilboa.
2014 Pakistan Today (Nexis) 29 Mar. Afghanistan has come a long way politically since the fall of the Taliban regime.
†b. The killing or death of an animal hunted as game; the kill. to be at (the) fall: to be present at the kill (cf. in at the kill at kill n.1 2b). Also in figurative contexts. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > death > killing > killing of animals > [noun]
slaughtera1300
to make larder ofa1330
murdering?a1475
fall1575
butchering1609
ovicide1828
felicide1832
poultrycide1841
piscicide1847
vealing1847
kill1850
slaughterage1854
birdicide1862
apricide1864
insecticide1865
vulpicidism1865
vulpicide1873
serpenticide1882
tauricide1882
vaccicide1887
leporicide1914
culling1938
cull1958
1575 G. Gascoigne Noble Arte Venerie xlii. 127 When the Harte is kylled, then all the huntesmen whiche be at fall of him, shall blowe a note..to the ende that the rest of the companies with all the houndes may come in.
1611 T. Heywood Golden Age ii. i. sig. E2 Iup. Shall wee here repose our selues a little? Cal. And loose the honour to be first at fall?
1615 G. Wither Shepherds Hunting ii. in Juvenilia (1622) sig. Kk2 Despaire came in, and grip't him to the hart. I hallowed in the resdue to the fall.
1664 T. Killigrew 2nd Pt. Cicilia & Clorinda ii. iii. in Comedies & Trag. 278 The open Countrey will sure make the Chase much more pleasant; for our hills keep us from being in at the fall, which is the heat, and pleasure of the Chase.
1713 J. Kersey New Eng. Dict. (ed. 2) at Moot To blow a moot, at the fall of a Deer.
1819 W. Scott Bride of Lammermoor viii. in Tales of my Landlord 3rd Ser. III. 228 I will meet you after the fall of the stag, for I hear they are blowing him at bay.
5.
a. The action or fact of lapsing into sin or folly, or of yielding to temptation; moral decline, descent, or ruin.fall from grace: see grace n. Phrases 2c.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > wrongdoing > erring > [noun] > instance
falla1225
scapec1440
lapse1582
slip1601
stumble1702
society > morality > moral evil > wrong conduct > [noun] > moral fall or lapse
falla1225
scapec1440
surreption1536
prolapsion1581
lapse1582
slip1601
stumble1702
a1225 (?c1175) Poema Morale (Digby) clii, in Anglia (1878) 1 26 Of alle ure vallen [a1200 Trin. Cambr. gultes; a1300 Jesus Oxf. sunnen] he one us come to bote.
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 242 Þe fifte þing is. Muche scheome þet hit is efter fal to ligge se longe.
c1390 Talkyng of Love of God (Vernon) (1950) 38 At þe poynt of my fal, whon I most dradde, þou kuddest þe quikly to make rescous.
?a1475 Ludus Coventriae (1922) 52 (MED) Graunte us grace..and saue us sownd fro synfull fall.
a1500 tr. Thomas à Kempis De Imitatione Christi (Trin. Dublin) (1893) 37 The religiose man..is open to a greuous falle.
1504 Rolls of Parl.: Henry VII (Electronic ed.) Parl. Jan. 1504 §5. m. 4 The kinges highnes..beyng sory for eny suche untrougth and fall of eny of his subgjectes..shall have..full auctoritie..to reverse..all the atteyndours of the seid persones.
1587 J. Higgins Mirour for Magistrates (new ed.) Humber xvi Let my..fall..bee A glasse wherein to see if thou do swerue.
1601 Bp. W. Barlow Serm. Paules Crosse Martij 1600 32 Their falles and faultes should not be..reuiued after death.
a1656 Bp. J. Hall Shaking of Olive-tree (1660) ii. 415 He who before fel in over pleasing himself, begins to displease himself at his fall.
1743 J. Wesley & C. Wesley Coll. Psalms (new ed.) xiii. 10 Will they not charge my Fall on Thee?
1758 S. Hayward Seventeen Serm. xvii. 516 They see the falls of those that profess a real love for him.
1827 B. Disraeli Vivian Grey III. v. xiii. 281 The moral fall of a fellow-creature!
1846 C. G. Finney Lect. Systematic Theol. (1847) lxiv. 315 Nothing can secure us against a fall but the revelation of Christ.
1903 Homiletic Rev. July 18/2 The story of an opium fiend.., of his falls after attempted reformation,..will clinch your argument.
1951 L. K. Shook tr. É. Gilson Héloïse & Abelard iv. 47 From the very moment she became his wife, Héloïse would never again be sure that she was not becoming an accomplice to Abélard's moral fall for the purpose of satisfying her personal interest.
2004 Victorian Rev. 30 61 Gaskell..does not want her readers to condemn Ruth too strongly for the path she takes that leads towards her fall.
b. Theology. With the. Sometimes with capital initial. The descent or lapse of humankind into a sinful state as a result of the transgression of Adam. Often more fully fall of man, fall of Adam (also Adam's fall).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > adversity > [noun] > fall from prosperous or thriving condition
rureOE
ebbingc1200
fallc1225
declinea1327
downfallingc1330
downfalla1400
fall of mana1400
wanea1400
ruinc1405
wrack1426
inclinationc1450
declination1533
labefactation1535
ebb1555
falling off1577
declining1581
inclining1590
declension1604
downset1608
neck-breaka1658
overseta1658
lapsing1665
reducement1667
lapse1680
labefaction1792
downshift1839
subsidence1839
downgrade1857
downturn1858
downslide1889
downswing1922
turn-down1957
tail-off1975
society > faith > aspects of faith > Bible, Scripture > biblical events > [noun] > the fall
falla1400
society > faith > aspects of faith > spirituality > sin > kinds of sin > [noun] > original
fleshc1200
original sinc1350
falla1400
birth poison1528
birth sin?1546
fall from grace1560
lapse1659
lapse from grace1687
birth stain1820
felix culpa1963
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 9770 Adam..moght wit na chance Of his fall get gain couerance.
1479 Earl Rivers tr. Cordyal (Caxton) iv. iii Of this eternal glorie saith also Iohn crisostom in his Book of the Reparacion of the fal of man.
1531 tr. E. Fox et al. Determinations Moste Famous Vniuersities vi. f. 125v The relyfe and remedy, wherby he saued mankynde from euerlastynge damnation after the fall of Adam.
1534 W. Marshall tr. Erasmus Playne & Godly Expos. Commune Crede f. 7 The naturall iudgement of reason, a certayne sparke wherof remayneth yet styll euen in men after the falle.
1540 R. Taverner Epist. & Gospelles Easter tyll Aduent f. xxivv The worlde hath a corrupt iudgement by Adams fall, so that it seeth not what thinges god aloweth and what not.
a1656 Bp. J. Hall Shaking of Olive-tree (1660) ii. 359 Mans will since the fall hath of it self no ability to any Spiritual Act.
1699 J. Keill Exam. Refl. Theory Earth 12 The Theorist..ridicul'd the Scriptural relation of the Fall.
1699 Bp. G. Burnet Expos. Thirty-nine Articles ix. 111 To return to the main point of the Fall of Adam.
1710 Ladies Diary 10 Man's Fall required a spacious Dress To hide his native Nakedness.
a1792 Bp. G. Horne in Scholar Armed (1800) 284 The fall of man..is the plaister we put upon all the maladies of the soul.
1855 Methodist Rev. Jan. 35 In his volume on the ‘Old Testament’, the doctrine of the fall of man is ingeniously and subtilely put to rest.
1875 H. E. Manning Internal Mission of Holy Ghost vi. 157 We are all conscious of the effect of the fall.
1914 A. A. Brill tr. S. Freud Psychopathol. Everyday Life xii. 309 We venture to explain in this way the myths of paradise and the fall of man.
1954 G. W. Anderson tr. S. Mowinckel He that Cometh ix. 337 We occasionally find it said that the Messiah will restore paradise, which was lost by Adam's fall.
2009 Sci. Amer. (U.K. ed.) May 21/1 Dioramas feature children frolicking among vegetarian dinosaurs..before the Fall.
†c. That which causes the downfall or ruin of someone or something. Cf. downfall n. 1b. Obsolete.Quot. 1535, cited at this sense in N.E.D. (1894), is probably an instance of fall n.1
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > [noun] > one who or that which destroys > cause of
lossc1386
undoing1390
ruinc1480
destruction1529
stumbling-block1535
fall1593
perdition1649
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Judges ii. 3 I wil not dryue them out before you, that they maye be a fall vnto you, and their goddes a snare [Luther dasz sie euch zum strick werden vnd ire Götter zum netze.].]
1593 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie i. iv. 56 The fall of Angels therefore was pride.
1611 Bible (King James) Ecclus. v. 13 The tongue of man is his fall . View more context for this quotation
a1761 W. Law Comfort Weary Pilgrim (1809) 75 The kingdom of self is the fall of man.
1831 H. Rich Daughter of Herodias v. ii. 154 'Tis coward virtue that has been my fall!
1874 Homilist 9 307 The loss of this [sc. love for God] is man's fall.
6. The surrender or capture of a city, fortress, etc.; the fact of falling into the hands or power of an enemy.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > defeat > [noun] > surrender
deliverancea1387
appointmenta1513
composition1523
dedition1523
rendering1523
surrender?a1525
fall1535
render1548
rendry1600
rendition1601
capitulation1604
recapitulation1641
reddition1641
surrendering1648
capitulating1734
the world > action or operation > failure or lack of success > defeat or overthrow > [noun] > by capture or surrender
fall1535
1535 Bible (Coverdale) 4 Esdras iii. A In the thirtie yeare of the fall of the cite [L. ruinae civitatis], I was at Babilon.
1586 A. Day Eng. Secretorie i. sig. E4 Achilles and Hector, that made the fall of Troy so famous.
1652 T. Manley tr. P. Fisher Veni, vidi, Vici 28 Thus forced by their neighbors evill fates, And the quick fall of many castles strong..They yield themselves.
1700 P. Rycaut Hist. Turks 390/1 By the Fall of this City of Malvasia, taken the 12th of August, the Turks were entirely beaten out of the Morea.
1776 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall (1887) IV. 499 The fall and sack of great cities.
1817 E. Baines Hist. Wars French Revol. I. i. xxiv. 174/1 Immediately on the fall of Mantua, Bonaparte published a proclamation to his army.
1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. III. 183 It was universally supposed that the fall of Londonderry could not be long delayed.
1955 J. C. Andrews North Rep. Civil War xxi. 569 It was fully ten days..before a complete story of the city's fall appeared.
1986 S. Penman Here be Dragons (1991) (U.K. ed.) i. iii. 50 We are about to lay siege to Tours, for its fall is sure to force the old fox from his lair.
2003 Gazette (Montreal) (Nexis) 17 May a21 One month after the fall of Baghdad and still no weapons of mass destruction have surfaced.
7. Criminals' slang.
a. An arrest.Recorded earliest in fall money n. at Compounds 4.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > general proceedings > arrest > [noun]
attachmenta1325
arresting1424
arrest1440
arrestment1474
restc1500
attach1508
attaching1515
deprehension1527
prehension1534
apprehending1563
apprehension1577
cog-shoulder1604
caption1609
deprension1654
nap1655
arrestation1792
body-snatching1840
shoulder-tap1842
collar1865
fall1883
nicking1883
cop1886
pinch1900
pickup1908
1883 St. Louis (Missouri) Globe-Democrat 8 Feb. 3/6 $100,000 of the most available securities were set apart to be utilized in raising ‘fall money’—that is, money to help out any of the gang who might be arrested.
1894 Reminisc. Chief-Insp. Littlechild xx. 204 This man..is now in prison on the Continent. The story of his last ‘fall’ is interesting.
1909 C. B. Chrysler White Slavery ix. 70 There is no ‘fall’, no squawk..no ‘dick’ has anything on you.
1928 J. O'Connor Broadway Racketeers v. 65 On a fall he'd bump into the same bit they gave me.
1999 R. Schweid Cockroach Papers ii. 26 He had already served prison time twice for felony assaults. One more fall and he would go down for life under New York state's ‘three strikes’ sentencing policy.
b. A period of imprisonment; (also) a conviction leading to imprisonment.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > punishment > imprisonment > [noun] > sentence or term of
time1790
lagging1819
stretch1821
model1845
birdlime1857
penal1864
prison sentence1867
rap1870
bit1871
spot1895
hard time1896
sleep1911
jolt1912
bird1924
fall1926
beef1928
trick1933
porridge1950
custodial sentence1951
1926 Clues Nov. 161/1 Fall, arrest, prison sentence.
1932 Evening Sun (Baltimore) 9 Dec. Fall, a term in prison.
1935 N. Ersine Underworld & Prison Slang 35 Fall. 1. An arrest. 2. An imprisonment. ‘That last fall got him the book.’
1972 G. V. Higgins Friends of Eddie Coyle xxvi. 163 He didn't talk then, but he had a fall coming and he knew it.
2009 G. P. Pelecanos Way Home xxviii. 299 I bet if they searched your car, they'd find a gun. That's an automatic fall for you.
II. A falling from a height, a drop, a sinking down, and related senses.
* Concrete senses.
8.
a. The action or fact of falling or dropping down from a high or relatively high position, esp. by the force of gravity; an instance of this.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > falling > [noun] > a fall
fallc1175
falling downc1350
downfall1556
occase1609
tumble1716
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 11862 Full hefiȝ fall to fallenn.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) Prol. l. 336 (MED) Betwen tuo Stoles lyth the fal.
c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Miller's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 641 With the fal he brosten hadde his arm.
1535 W. Tyndale in Test. W. Tracie sig. Bij A blynde monstre and a surmysynge beest, fearynge at the fall of euery leafe.
1553 T. Wilson Arte Rhetorique (1580) 154 An other pitiyng his fall, asked him..how got you into that pitte?
1563 W. Fulke Goodle Gallerye Causes Meteors ii. f. 8 By the fall of them [sc. the starres], both thonder and lyghtning are caused.
1599 W. Shakespeare et al. Passionate Pilgrime (new ed.) sig. B4 A greene plumbe that..fals..before the fall should be.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost i. 76 The companions of his fall..He [sc. Lucifer] soon discerns. View more context for this quotation
1693 J. Dryden in J. Dryden et al. tr. Juvenal Satires xiv. Notes 293 He Dy'd a very little Death..being Martyr'd by the fall of a Tyle from a House.
1748 Acct. Voy. for Discov. North-west Passage I. 151 One of them, by a Fall from the Parapet at the Top of the Factory, was killed.
1788 New Lady's Mag. Dec. 639/1 He was unhorsed, and so stunned by the fall, that his Esquires were obliged to bear him away.
1802 J. Sibbald Chron. Sc. Poetry IV. Gloss. Soss, noise made by the fall of something heavy and soft.
1850 Ld. Tennyson In Memoriam xi. 16 These leaves that redden to the fall . View more context for this quotation
1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. xi. 84 Fixing my feet suddenly in the snow, [I] endeavoured to check his fall.
1916 F. E. Clements Plant Succession iv. 63 Even in the fall of seeds there is often some movement away from the parent plant.
1944 T. S. C. Dagg Hockey in Ireland ii. 51 On the fall of the ball an exciting scene ensues.
1999 Gun Dog Dec. 68/2 A dog ‘marks’ the fall of a shot bird better when it is sitting and giving its full concentration to the bird.
2015 Toronto Star 19 July a4 A 17-month-old boy survived a seven-storey fall from an apartment balcony.
b. The dropping out of hair, teeth, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > digestive or excretive organs > digestive organs > mouth > tooth or teeth > [noun] > dedentition
fallc1525
dedentition1646
c1525 J. Rastell New Commodye Propertes of Women sig. Biiv Holownes of mouth fall of teth faynt of goyng.
1578 J. Banister Hist. Man i. f. 14 In some, the fall of teeth are renewed at many yeares.
1662 tr. F. Plater et al. Golden Pract. Physick (new ed.) iii. i. i. 504/2 (side note) Force externall causeth falling out of Teeth, or looseness or treating of them, the fall of hair, and gogle Eyes.
1676 W. Harris tr. N. de Blégny New & Curious Observ. Venereal Dis. i. iii. 29 These Spirits..are able to circulate about the body, to penetrate the narrowest pores, cause Itchings, Inquietudes, and fall of Hair.
1778 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 68 670 The jaw bones were carious, the fall of the teeth followed.
1873 Dublin Univ. Mag. Apr. 402/2 The fall of hair may be arrested in many instances by adequate internal and external treatment.
1920 N.Y. Med. Jrnl. 27 Nov. 839/2 Some cases were cured or improved without causing the fall of hair, while in others epilation was necessary.
1936 Irish Times 29 Feb. 6/7 (advt.) A small quantity of Vita-Krin rubbed into the scalp night and morning will..stop the fall of hair.
2013 Health Daily Digest (Nexis) 25 Mar. The fall of teeth was directly proportional to the augmentation in degrees of enzyme.
c. An instance or episode of the descent of rain, hail, snow, meteors, etc.; the amount that falls at one time or in a certain period. Cf. rainfall n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > weather > precipitation or atmospheric moisture > [noun] > fall of
fall1555
downfall1578
the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > weather > precipitation or atmospheric moisture > snow > [noun] > the falling of snow
snowingc1330
snewingc1400
falling1563
fall1749
1555 L. Digges Prognostication Right Good Effect sig. C.ivv A Cloude resolued into water, in the fall congelated, maketh Hayle.
1594 W. Shakespeare Lucrece sig. E2 Some gentle gust..Hindring their [sc. vapours'] present fall by this deuiding. View more context for this quotation
1602 T. Lodge tr. Josephus Hist. Antiq. Iewes xiii. xvi, in tr. Josephus Wks. 335 The want of water which he had in his campe..was..remedied by a great fall of raine.
1638 T. Herbert Some Yeares Trav. (rev. ed.) 128 Raine in..violent irruptions; dangerous..in the fall.
1699 T. Allison Acct. Voy. Archangel 3 A Squaul is a sudden shower of Rain, or fall of Snow, attended with Wind.
1749 Acct. Voy. for Discov. North-west Passage II. 20 A very great Fall of Hail, Snow, and Sleet.
1814 D. H. O'Brien Narr. Captiv. & Escape 178 The flood was very rapid from the late falls of rain.
1835 Scotsman 29 July A remarkable fall of meteors took place in North America in November 1833.
1858 H. W. Longfellow Children in Courtship Miles Standish 208 The wind of Autumn, And the first fall of the snow.
1871 J. N. Lockyer Elem. Lessons Astron. iii. §316. 139 Among the largest aërolitic falls of modern times we may mention the following.
1878 T. H. Huxley Physiography (ed. 2) 63 A fall of snow thus acts like a mantle of fur thrown over the earth.
1934 I. R. Tannehill Hurricane (U.S. Dept. Agric.) 7/2 The fall attending a tropical storm has exceeded 20 inches in a 24-hour period.
1973 Jewish Chron. 19 Jan. 1/1 (caption) The capital lies under the heaviest fall of snow for 21 years.
2016 Evening Times (Glasgow) (Nexis) 4 Aug. 47 The bright floodlights which illuminated a steady fall of rain.
d. The downward stroke of a sword, axe, hammer, etc. Also in figurative contexts.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > cut of sharp weapon > cut or thrust with sword > [noun] > downward stroke
fall1583
1583 R. P. tr. P. de la Sierra Second Pt. Myrror of Knighthood f. 126v At the fall of his mightie cutting sworde, the sparkles of fire flew into the aire.
1597 W. Shakespeare Richard III v. v. 64 Put in their hands thy brusing Irons of wrath, That they may crush downe with a heauie fall, The vsurping helmets of our aduersaries. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) ii. iii. 227 I heard the clinke and fall of swords. View more context for this quotation
1697 L. Meager Myst. Husbandry 154 You shall see the Fall of the Beetle or Ax some little Distance of Time before you hear the Noise of the Blow.
1791 T. Mendham Wonder Working Water-mill Displayed iv. 21 At the fall of the hammer, that Gentleman knows what they sold for.
1817 Ld. Byron Let. 30 May (1976) V. 229 The quick rattle and heavy fall of the axe—the splash of the blood—& the ghastliness of the exposed heads.
1894 Sun (Indianapolis) 22 Feb. The machinery of the courts..stayed the fall of the sword of justice and increased his chances of evading the law.
1913 Our Dumb Animals June 67/1 Why fear his shrinking sides may smart Beneath the lash's fall?
1938 Washington Post 5 Sept. 15/2 This group..will be struggling against the fall of the ax which will cleave three members from the squad after the game.
2001 Mod. Law Rev. 64 468 A contract for sale of a lot is effected on the fall of the hammer.
†e. The shedding of blood. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > discharge or flux > [noun] > bleeding or flow of blood
runeOE
stranda1240
flux1377
bleedingc1385
rhexisc1425
issuec1500
haemorrhagy?1541
bleeda1585
sanguination1598
falla1616
haemorrhage1671
saltation1672
persultation1706
fusion1725
haematosis1811
phleborrhagia1833
secondary haemorrhage1837
splinter haemorrhage1931
haemorrhaging1967
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry V (1623) i. ii. 25 Neuer two such Kingdomes did contend, Without much fall of blood. View more context for this quotation
9. concrete. That which falls; a fallen mass or collection of something. In early use also in plural with collective sense.Earliest in windfall. For various specific uses see branch V.ice fall, rockfall, etc.: see the first element.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > falling > [noun] > that which falls
fall1463
1463–5 Rolls of Parl.: Edward IV (Electronic ed.) Parl. Apr. 1463 §40. m. 27 Trees, boghes and woode called wyndfalles.
1572 J. Higgins Huloets Dict. (rev. ed.) sig. C/1 Apple fallin of from the tree, a wyndfale.
1660 F. Brooke tr. V. Le Blanc World Surveyed iii. xii. 383 The meanest slave hath his three crownes a day, who are often buried under the falls of the Mine.
1745 E. Young Consolation 4 Nor shall the present Year Be more tenacious of her human Leaf, Or spread of feeble Life a thinner Fall.
1873 M'Kean County Miner (Smethport, Pa.) 18 Dec. When they [sc. grasshoppers] settle upon a field it seems as if it was covered with a fall of rustling leaves.
1878 Rep. Inspectors of Mines Anthracite Coal Regions Pennsylvania 1877 192 [I] went back to try the No. 1 way..but found the way barred by a fall.
1926 Pop. Mech. Mag. Aug. 293/2 Tangible evidence..has been gathered by weighing the annual fall of soot.
2008 B. Markovits Quiet Adjustment (2009) viii. 75 They strolled through the fall of leaves into Regent Street.
10. The discharge or outflow of a river into the sea or into a larger body of water. Formerly also: †the place where this occurs, the mouth (obsolete). Cf. outfall n. 1a. Now somewhat rare.In quot. 1511 as the second element in the name of the place in Lincolnshire where the River Trent joins the Humber (now called Trent Falls).
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > water > rivers and streams > system > [noun] > mouth or outfall
mouthlOE
issue1423
firthc1425
estuary15..
fall1511
port1555
inset1559
water mouth1574
open1582
emboguing1603
ostium1611
inver1615
outfall1629
ostiary1646
influx1652
disclosure1660
discharge1688
waterfoot1730
outflux1739
embouchure1792
sortie1809
beal1819
debouchure1832
salting-place1842
embouchement1844
debouchment1859
ria1887
the world > the earth > water > rivers and streams > action of river > [noun] > disemboguing
outshoot1493
fall1511
disemboguing1605
disembogue1626
disembogure1653
disemboguement1828
disembocation1846
1511 in K. Cameron Place-names Lincs. (2001) VI. 7 Trent-falle.
1551 R. Robinson tr. T. More Vtopia ii. sig. H.ij When the sea ebbeth, and goyth backe agayn the freshe water followeth yt almoste euen to the verye falle in to the sea.
1573 T. Twyne tr. H. Llwyd Breuiary of Britayne f. 30 Aber, whiche amonge the Britaynes signifieth..either swiftnesse, or fall of any water..into the Sea: as Aberconwy,..that is to say, the mouth of Conway.
1577 W. Harrison Hist. Descr. Islande Brit. i. ix. f. 25/2, in R. Holinshed Chron. I From this place I doe not remember that I founde any more falles or hauens, tyll we passed rounde about the cape, and came vnto the Haile.
1674 W. Petty Disc. before Royal Soc. 10 The Heights of Rivers at their head above their fall into the Sea.
1705 J. Addison Remarks Italy 113 The Po..before its Fall into the Gulf..receives..the most considerable Rivers of Piemont.
1752 Philos. Trans. 1749–50 (Royal Soc.) 46 731 Along and between the two Rivers Welland and Avon;..from their very Origins down to their Fall into the Sea.
1859 S. C. Hall & A. M. Hall (title) The book of the Thames: from its rise to its fall.
1929 Observer 3 Mar. 26/5 You cross the Rhône and follow its course to within four miles of its fall into the sea.
1941 B. H. Newdigate M. Drayton & his Circle iv. 46 Clifford Chambers..lies on the river Stour near its fall into the Avon less than two miles above Stratford.
11.
a. The manner in which anything falls or drops.Chiefly with reference to the operation of chance, as seen in the casting of dice, lots, etc., and as such sometimes coloured by sense 24.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > falling > [noun] > the way in which anything falls
fall1535
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Judges ii. A The lottes are cast in to the lappe, but their fall stondeth in the Lorde.
1660 Bp. J. Taylor Ductor Dubitantium II. iv. i. 469 The fall of the dice was by God committed to the Devils conduct.
1782 J. Brown Compend. View Nat. & Revealed Relig. vi. i. 531 The appeal for division of cards or fall of the dice, must be made either to God or to the devil.
1875 G. J. A. Coulson Odd Trump xxxv. 177 You are relying upon an agency similar to that which decides the fall of the ball in roulette.
1891 Leisure Hour 40 473/1 By the peculiar fall of Mrs. Fidler's jean heelless boots on the polished floor, Mr. Doughty discerned the state of dudgeon into which Mrs. Lankaster's remarks had driven his housekeeper.
1910 Mich. Alumnus July 597 Toss a coin and let its fall decide the question.
2004 D. Stevenson 1914–1918 vii. 185 Even when a gun had found its target, varying wind speeds and atmospheric temperatures and pressures could alter the fall of the shell.
2014 J. Nathan tr. N. Sōseki Light & Dark 160 This maiden's destiny..would be decided, in a matter of days, by the fall of the dice her uncle held in his hand.
b. The manner in which a person's hair, a part of a garment, a drape of fabric, etc., falls or hangs down.
ΚΠ
1750 J. Hill Actor i. 76 The simpering widow..busy'd in the adjusting the fall of a flounce on her sleeve.
1834 H. L. Bulwer France II. iii. 204 She has a peculiar taste in arranging the set of a gown and the fall of a sleeve.
1910 J. Huneker Promenades of Impressionist xv. 346 It is the modelling, the rich manipulation of tones.., the graceful fall of the hair..that count most.
1968 Times (San Mateo, Calif.) 1 May 6 a/4 (advt.) The faultless fall of a trouser leg.
1988 A. Ghosh Shadow Lines (1989) 40 The fall of his dhoti was always perfect—straight and starched—the top button of his kurta open in an exact equilateral triangle.
2002 2001 Rev. (Ann. Rep. National Art Coll. Fund) 80/3 Gainsborough concentrates on the difficult pose and the fall of drapery.
c. The manner in which cards are dealt or played.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > [noun] > actions or tactics > manner in which cards are dealt
fall1885
1840 Bentley's Misc. Jan. 186 The parties who were to co-operate in performing this interesting ceremony being determined by the fall of the cards.
1885 R. A. Proctor How to play Whist iv. 60 The fall of the cards in the first suit may..lead him to do so.
1925 Times 27 Oct. 15/5 As if human destiny could be determined by the fall of playing-cards or by the position of planets.
2009 B. Seagram & D. Bird Planning Play of Bridge Hand ii. 34 You will then be able to cash the ♥K and see from the fall of the cards whether you need to finesse the ♥9 on the third round.
12.
a. The downward direction or trend of a surface or outline; a deviation, sudden or gradual, in a downward direction from the general level; a slope, a declivity.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > inclination > [noun] > inclination from the level or slope > downwards
fall1538
downwith1593
declining1601
devexity1601
devex1627
declension1640
proneness1686
dip1708
versant1859
1538 T. Elyot Dict. Abruptum, that whiche hath suche a fall or stepenesse downe, that no man maye passe by it, but onely fall downe.
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World II. 615 Neither doth this circle shine in the concauitie or in the fall of the gem.
1712 J. James tr. A.-J. Dézallier d'Argenville Theory & Pract. Gardening 194 A small insensible Fall should be given these Channels.
1755 T. Gray Let. 6 Aug. in Corr. (1971) I. 428 A natural terrass 3 mile long..with a gradual fall on both sides.
1832 W. Scott Jrnl. Mar. (1946) 216 Stockd with wild animals towards the fall of the hills.
1847 F. Marryat Children of New Forest II. xiii. 292 The symmetrical fall of the shoulders.
1858 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 19 i. 188 Most of the Weald lands have a good fall for draining.
1865 S. Baring-Gould Bk. Were-wolves vii. 87 The girls..saw a little fall in the ground.
1909 Fortn. Rev. May 872 A Cashmere shawl marks the fall of her shoulders.
1976 Inventory Anc. Monuments Glamorgan: Vol. 1 (Royal Comm. Anc. & Hist. Monuments Wales) I. 75/1 It stands on level ground at the edge of a steep fall to the N.
2004 Sydney Morning Herald (Nexis) 1 July 16 The trench..should have a slight fall, from the middle to each end, so collected water can run away.
b. The distance through which anything descends, whether suddenly or gradually; the extent of a drop in ground level, water level, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > falling > [noun] > distance through which
fall1592
the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > vertical extent > extension downwards or depth > [noun] > below (specific) level
fall1592
dip1793
drop1794
1592 R. Dallington tr. F. Colonna Hypnerotomachia f. 47 By reason of the high fall [It. per lalto caso], and fashion of the vessel, it [sc. water] made a pleasant tinckling noyse.
1686 Bp. G. Burnet Some Lett. conc. Switzerland iv. 238 The Tarpeian Rock is now of so small a fall, that a man would think it no great matter..to leap over it.
1712 J. James tr. A.-J. Dézallier d'Argenville Theory & Pract. Gardening 191 You..know exactly what Fall there is from the Top of the Hill..to the Bottom.
1739 C. Labelye Short Acct. Piers Westm. Bridge 11 The perpendicular Height of the Fall that might be expected under a Bridge.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth I. 223 Its waters are..poured down, by a fall of an hundred and fifty feet perpendicular.
1881 Salter's Guide Thames 9 Hart's Weir..has a fall of 3 ft.
1951 Carillon News (Steinbach, Manitoba) 8 June 11/4 Montmorency Falls in Quebec has the highest fall in Canada, 274 feet.
1966 Eng. Hist. Rev. 81 390 The resultant canal, forty miles long with a fall of little over five inches a mile, has lasted..to this day.
2005 M. Kirton Plot (2007) 31/3 Measure the height above ground level at both ends and subtract the lower figure from the higher one to give you the fall.
c. spec. Nautical. A difference in level between different parts of a ship's deck (see also quot. 1850); a slope or step which creates such a difference. Now historical and rare.
ΚΠ
a1621 W. Strachey True Reportory Wracke Sir T. Gates in S. Purchas Pilgrimes (1625) IV. ix. vi. 1745 Shee had a fall of eighteene inches aft, to make her sterage and her great Cabbin the more large.
1644 H. Mainwaring Sea-mans Dict. 38 When we mention the Falls of a ship..it is meant by the raising or laying some part of the Deck higher, or lower then the other.
1680 London Gaz. No. 1526/4 The Adventure Pink, Dogger built, two Decks, with a Fall where the Windles stand.
1730 N. Bailey et al. Dictionarium Britannicum A Flush Deck, fore and aft, a deck that lies upon a right line without any fall.
1850 J. Greenwood Sailor's Sea-bk. 117 Fall, the descent of a deck from a fair curve lengthwise..to give height to the commander's cabin, and sometimes forward at the hawse-holes.
1925 L. G. Carr Laughton Old Ship Figure-heads & Sterns (2001) iv. 52 The beakhead-bulkhead was less than two decks high by the depth of the fall.
1979 F. Howard Sailing Ships of War iv. 216/2 Their main deck had a ‘fall’ or a step at each end to accommodate the forecastle and after cabins.
13.
a. The setting of the sun, the stars, etc. See also sunfall n. Chiefly somewhat archaic in later use.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > heavenly body > movement of heavenly bodies > [noun] > set
setc1386
descensiona1398
settinga1400
resconsing1503
declination?1504
fall1549
retreat1601
obit1656
1549 R. Crowley Psalter of Dauid l. sig. O.j God..spake, and dyd togither cal:As many as do dwelle from the sunne rysynge to his falle [L. occasum].
a1604 M. Hanmer Chron. Ireland 128 in J. Ware Two Hist. Ireland (1633) The sunne..holdeth his course to his fall.
1610 J. Healey tr. J. L. Vives in tr. St. Augustine Citie of God xviii. xxxix. 729 They might easily discerne all the motions, stations, rising and fall of euery star.
1656 Ld. Orrery Parthenissa V. iii. 194 A little before the fall of the Sun we came in sight of them.
1817 La Belle Assemblée Aug. 83/1 She..worshipp'd with fervour ecstatic, The rise and the fall of the sun.
1868 W. Morris Earthly Paradise ii. 604 The wide sun reddened towards his fall.
1916 Berkeley (Calif.) Daily Gaz. 29 July 7/2 Italian shore cities and towns show very little light after the sun's fall.
1922 Harper's Mag. Dec. 181/1 It was after the fall of the sun; there came a darkness in that room.
2006 www.bbc.co.uk 21 Apr. (O.E.D. Archive) It takes fourteen hours till it's done, From the dawn till the fall of the sun.
b. Astrology. The position in the Zodiac in which a planet or other celestial object is considered to exert the least influence; the fact of being in this position. Opposed to exaltation n. 3.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > heavenly body > as influence on mankind > [noun] > influence > planet as > situation of > weak influence
descensionc1386
dejection1430
fall?1583
detrimenta1640
debility1647
debilitude1669
impediment1819
?1583 F. Wither tr. C. Dariot Breefe Introd. Astrologicall Iudgem. Starres iii. sig. Cv Venus hath her exaltation in the xxvii. degree of Pisces, and in the like degree of Virgo her fall [L. casus].
1676 W. Lilly Anima Astrologiæ 10 When a Planet is joyned to another in his Declension or Fall; that is, in Opposition to its own House or Exaltation.
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. Dejection, Fall, in Astrology, is applied to the Planets, when in their Detriment, i. e. when they have lost of their Force, or Influence, by reason of their being in Opposition to some others, which check, and counteract them.
1819 J. Wilson Compl. Dict. Astrol. 99 A planet has its fall in the opposite sign to that where he has his exaltation: thus, the ☉ has his fall in ♎.
1991 C. Mansall Discover Astrol. v. 65/2 Moon in Scorpio Tradition gives this as the most difficult position for the Moon; its fall being the opposite sign to that of exaltation.
14.
a. The action or fact of subsiding or sinking to a lower level, esp. of a body of water, the waves, the tide, etc.; receding, ebbing; an instance of this.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > water > flow or flowing > tide > type of tide > [noun] > ebbing or flowing out
ebba1000
ebbingc1000
fresha1552
fall1571
vale-water1589
refloat1594
reflow1610
downtide1668
recurrency1724
out1756
retroposition1836
ebb-tide1837
recurrence1857
1571 T. Knell Declar. Tempestious, & Outragious Fluddes sig. Aiijv Water their pastures sowne with sheep,..geue their flocke moysture, that they may see them by thousandes swim aboue the ground, and at the fall of the waters, to lie deade vppon their watred land.
1577 R. Willes & R. Eden tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Hist. Trauayle W. & E. Indies f. 64v The shore was drye by the fall of the water.
1612 J. Speed Theatre of Empire of Great Brit. ii. v. 105/2 At the ebbe and fall of tide, it [sc. the well] walloweth vp amaine.
1685 I. Newton Let. 19 Sept. in Corr. (1960) II. 420 Tell me how much the perpendicular rise & fall of ye spring tides about the solstices is greater then the like rise & fall of the neape or quarter tides at ye same time of the yeare.
1743 J. Bulkeley & J. Cummins Voy. to South-seas 120 We ran in before the Wind.., expecting every Rise and Fall of the Sea to be a Wreck.
1823 T. C. Upham tr. J. Jahn Biblical Archaeol. i. i. 20 The water in the pits stagnates after the fall of the lake.
1852 Morning Post 14 Feb. 7/3 At the fall of the tide, plaintiffs procured an under waterman to raise the barge at low water.
1910 Rock Valley (Iowa) Bee 21 Jan. 2/2 A still greater number of craft..would be stranded high and dry by the steady fall of the waters.
1958 Terre Haute (Indiana) Star 18 June 1/6 It was believed that the slow fall of the waters would relieve the pressure [on the levee] and alleviate the danger of a break.
2016 Gloucestershire Echo (Nexis) 3 Feb. 28 The scheme will aim to harness the rise and fall of the tide.
b. spec. The sinking down or contraction of the fluid in a barometer, thermometer, or similar measuring instrument. Said also of the instrument itself.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > weather > study or science of weather > meteorological instruments > [noun] > barometer > height of mercury in > (proportional) rise and fall > fall
falling1658
fall1664
1664 in R. T. Gunther Early Sci. in Oxf. (1930) VI. 206 Mr. Hooke..observed, that upon the fall of the mercury wet weather followed.
1686 Philos. Trans. 1685 (Royal Soc.) 15 930 Your new and easy invention of observing the rise and fall of the Mercury in the Barometer.
1741 Philos. Trans. 1737–8 (Royal Soc.) 40 434 A very remarkable Fall of the Barometer happen'd between Feb. the 2d and the 9th.
1806 G. Gregory Dict. Arts & Sci. I. 204 The principal cause of the rise and fall of the mercury is from the variable winds.
1841 Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc. 7 140 The temperature was exceedingly uniform during this whole period, yet it will be observed there was a slight fall of the thermometer on the 23d.
1864 Nat. Hist. Trans. Northumb. & Durham 1 119 The violent falls in the barometer were not attended by corresponding disturbance of the air.
1919 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) A. 218 286 The same observer..noted accurately the fall of the mercury manometer in this interval.
1934 Yale Univ. Libr. Gaz. 9 9 He carried a barometer to the top of a high tower, noting and correctly interpreting the fall of the mercury.
1955 Garden City (Kansas) Telegram 16 Nov. 1/8 The sudden and extreme change in temperatures like yesterday's rapid fall of the thermometer from 60 degrees to near zero.
2009 W. Donner & R. Fumerton Mill xi. 183 We don't think of the barometer's fall as the cause of the storm.
15. The birth or production of an animal's young; the quantity of young born or produced. Cf. drop n. 15.Especially with reference to sheep.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > family unit > [noun] > offspring or young > quantity born
fall1593
the world > animals > animal body > general parts > sexual organs and reproduction > [noun] > bringing forth young
breeding1387
whelping1398
broodc1440
feture?1440
litterc1440
littering1542
fall1593
litterage1601
cast1646
1593 T. Danett tr. L. Guicciardini Descr. Low Countreys f. 58 Manie of their Keene bring twoo Calues at a caluing, & their sheepe two or three Lambes at a fall [It. per portata].
1636 R. Powell Depopulation 63 They will either shift away their sheepe from one place to another; and sometimes..from one parish to another, and so incumber the tything for the fall of Lambes.
?1645 Treat. New Eng. (new ed.) 7 Both these kind of Deer bring ordinarily 3. Calves at a fall.
1796 Hull Advertiser 14 May 1/4 The largest fall of lambs this year almost ever known.
1831 W. Howitt Bk. Seasons 72 The principal fall of lambs takes place now.
1865 J. G. Bertram Harvest of Sea vii. 340 The greatest fall of spawn ever known in England occurred in 1827.
1909 Times 4 Jan. 13/2 The owner of ordinary dairy or commercial cows regulates the fall of calves to suit the requirements of the markets for which he caters.
1973 Financial Times 30 Mar. 31/7 The survival rate this spring has been very good, considering the very heavy fall of lambs.
2014 Farmers Weekly (Nexis) 16 May We have had a good fall of lambs.
†16. The alighting of a bird upon the ground. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > flight > [noun] > alighting
fall1598
alighting1628
1598 G. Chapman tr. Homer Seauen Bks. Iliades ii. 396 In their falls [fowl] lay out such throats [Gk. κλαγγηδὸν προκαθιζόντων], that [etc.].
** Figurative and abstract senses.
17.
a. The action or fact of being made to descend or of declining, deteriorating, etc.; descent from or loss of high (political or moral) status, good fortune, or the like; downfall.pride goes before a fall: see pride n.1 1d. to ride for a fall: see ride v. Phrases 2f.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > adversity > [noun] > fall from prosperous or thriving condition
rureOE
ebbingc1200
fallc1225
declinea1327
downfallingc1330
downfalla1400
fall of mana1400
wanea1400
ruinc1405
wrack1426
inclinationc1450
declination1533
labefactation1535
ebb1555
falling off1577
declining1581
inclining1590
declension1604
downset1608
neck-breaka1658
overseta1658
lapsing1665
reducement1667
lapse1680
labefaction1792
downshift1839
subsidence1839
downgrade1857
downturn1858
downslide1889
downswing1922
turn-down1957
tail-off1975
the mind > emotion > humility > humiliation > [noun] > fact of being humiliated
fallc1225
downcominga1398
descension?c1425
downcomea1522
descent1533
tumble1728
comedown1840
c1225 (?c1200) Hali Meiðhad (Bodl.) (1940) 182 Se herre degre, se þe fal is wurse.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) ii. l. 227 (MED) Of that an other hath a fall, He thenkth himself arist withal.
a1439 J. Lydgate Fall of Princes (Bodl. 263) i. l. 2067 It was mor greuous to his dignite, A sodeyn fall from his hih noblesse, Than yiff that he neuer hadde be Set in thestat off [so] gret worthynesse.
a1450 Generides (Pierpont Morgan) (1865) l. 1714 Min hert so high set haue I, A fall I drede to haue therby!
1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection i. sig. Bviiv Whome they most auaunce..they..gyue them the greater fall.
1574 J. Whitgift Def. Aunswere to Admon. iii. 215 The fall from a kingdome into a tyrannie is very redy.
a1613 T. Overbury Obseruations Xvii. Prouinces (1626) 11 The most remarkable place in that side is Antwerp (which rose vpon the fall of Bruges).
1633 F. Taylor Selfe-Satisfaction sig. Cv The second fall is from morall honesty.
1652 tr. G. de Coste de La Calprenède Cleopatra 65 By reason of the fall of my family, I am not so co[n]siderable in Cleopatra's esteem as the Sonne of Livia.
1679 Bp. G. Burnet Hist. Reformation anno 1543 I. iii. 326 Doctor London..did now, upon Cromwell's fall, apply himself to Gardiner.
1741 D. Hume Ess. Moral & Polit. I. xv. 177 Each [Experiment]..show'd the Fall of Learning in Despotic Governments, as well as its Rise in popular Ones.
1772 J. Marshall Travels 1768–70 II. ii. 38 How miserable a fall a place undergoes that loseth a once established trade.
1827 H. Hallam Constit. Hist. Eng. II. xvii. 688 The fall of the Stuarts.
1864 Glasgow Herald 12 Nov. A country that was in the utmost state of fall and degradation.
1874 J. R. Green Short Hist. Eng. People viii. 582 Puritanism..drew..a nobler life from its very fall.
1908 A. P. Schultz Race or Mongrel? (title page) A theory that the fall of nations is due to intermarriage with alien stocks.
1936 Washington Post 21 June b4/5 Pitying Eden for his fall from idealism to realism, then taunting him.
1994 G. Greenberg Self on Shelf 196 Asked what should be said of his fall into dishonor, he reveals his ongoing naivete.
2011 G. Ginn Archangels & Archaeology (2012) x. 190 It gave a sense of the rise and fall of civilizations.
†b. The lowest point reached by something. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > adversity > [noun] > fall from prosperous or thriving condition > low condition or low point > lowest point
low tide1608
low-water mark1651
falla1662
perigee1662
low point1749
bathos1759
nadir1793
pessimism1794
zero1821
bed-rock1883
rock-bottom1885
ultima Thule1976
a1662 P. Heylyn Aerius Redivivus (1670) 234 I have now brought the Presbyterians to their lowest fall; but we shall see them very shortly in their resurrections.
1680 W. Temple Ess. Orig. & Nature Govt. in Wks. (1731) I. 104 Modes of Government have all their Heights and their Falls.
18. The failure, collapse, or ruin of an institution, organization, etc.Sometimes hard to distinguish from sense 17a.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > failure or lack of success > [noun] > failure or collapse (of institution, etc.)
fall?1544
miscarriage1652
breakdown1832
collapse1856
burst-up1879
break-away1885
?1544 J. Bale Epist. Exhortatorye f. iiijv Euerye where were they whisperinge in that eare and that eare, fearinge the fall of their kyngedome yf the Gospell were trulye opened.
?1548 W. Kethe Tye thy Mare Tom Boye sig. Aviiiv The fall of the marketThy marchauntes bewayleth.
1614 W. Raleigh Hist. World i. iv. vi. §9. 291 The Citie of Lysimachia (built by him, and called after his name) falling by an earthquake, appeared, by euents, to haue foreshewed the fall of his house.
1708 J. Gailhard Disc. Several Useful Subj. 115 The least Benefit we should have gotten for it, by our League to keep the House of Austria from an utter Fall, had been [etc.].
a1780 J. Harris Philol. Inq. (1781) iii. i. 240 The fall of these two empires.
1791 tr. L.-P. Anquetil Mem. Court of France II. iv. 425 The fall of the Bank put an end to that illusion which had not been confined to Paris.
1802 Cobbett's Weekly Polit. Reg. 26 June 737 Luxury..alone may be considered as the great cause of the fall of the once flourishing and powerful states.
1896 Times 29 Dec. 3/5 The Serbo-Greek conflict in Macedonia has led to the fall of the Norakovitch Ministry.
1970 D. B. Tyack in H. J. Bass State of Amer. Hist. 355 However significant Kendall's role in the fall of the Bank..his purist views did not determine Democratic banking policy.
1996 D. H. Fischer Great Wave (1997) i. 25 The ducat became renowned for its stability, by keeping its gold content unchanged..from 1284 to the fall of the Venetian republic in 1797.
2010 W. R. McCaig From Sanctuary to Streets i. 2 In those months after the fall of Enron, my husband and I experienced firsthand the humiliation of not being able to provide for our family.
19.
a. A reduction in price, value, etc.; depreciation, devaluation.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > monetary value > [noun] > decline in value
fall1551
undervaluation1622
depreciating1767
depreciation1900
society > trade and finance > money > value of money > [noun] > fall or reduction in value
delayinga1500
embezzlement1548
embasing1551
fall1551
debasement1602
disvaluation1617
adulterateness1655
embasement1677
falling1699
depreciating1767
depreciation1767
debasing1891
devaluation1914
devalorization1928
slippage1972
society > trade and finance > monetary value > price > fluctuation in price > [noun] > decline in prices
fall1551
falling1571
sag1891
rolling back1942
turnback1977
1551 Proclam. Edward VI Abacing Coyne 18 July (single sheet) Euery man that hathe corne, cattel or other kinde of victual, mete to be brought to the markettes, rather wil kepe it then vtter it fearing their losse in the fal of the money.
1606 Bp. J. Hall Heauen vpon Earth xviii. 125 Another..hanging himselfe for the fall of the market.
a1687 W. Petty Polit. Arithm. (1690) 99 The natural fall of Interest, is the effect of the increase of Mony.
1708 J. Chamberlayne Magnæ Britanniæ Notitia (ed. 22) ii. xv. 162 By the great Fall of Monies now, the Sheriffs Authority..is much diminished.
1783 Morning Post 2 Sept. The falls of Stocks since the peace, has sunk more forcibly upon them [sc. the Jews] than any other description of people.
1814 Stock-Exchange laid Open 5 The speculator..anxiously looks for a fall.
1845 J. R. McCulloch Treat. Taxation ii. xii. 367 The remarkable fall..in the prices of corn.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 189 A sudden fall of rents took place.
1933 Granta 26 Apr. 370/1 Those interested only in the day to day politics of the fall of the dollar and the Russian embargo.
1969 Listener 27 Feb. 264/2 What a pity that the stipend has not kept pace..with the fall in the value of money.
2008 Atlantic Monthly Jan. 84/2 Despite a slight fall since 2006, [housing] prices are still more than double what they were in 1997.
b. A decrease in musical pitch; a lowering of the voice, a musical note, etc.Not always clearly distinguishable from sense 20.
ΚΠ
1706 A. Bedford Temple Musick ix. 186 A fall in Musick, and then a rising again to the same sound.
1849 A. M. Bell New Elucidation Princ. Speech & Elocution 272 The melody of speech requires that every emphatic inflexion should be preceded by an inflexion in the opposite mode—a rise before a fall, a fall before a rise.
1904 M. F. Washburne Every Day Ess. 41 First there comes a single whistle..; next a long trill with a quavering fall at the end.
2014 M. Slowik After Silents vi. 239 Every prominent upward or downward movement in the image receives a corresponding rise or fall in the music.
c. More generally: a decrease in anything that can be measured or quantified, as temperature, pressure, etc.Perhaps originally an extended use of sense 14b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > decrease or reduction in quantity, amount, or degree > [noun] > instance of
downfall1654
fall1792
drop1847
cut1881
degrowth1920
step-down1922
rollback1942
1792 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 82 216 After a person is long chilled in cold water, the first effect of passing through the external air into the warm bath, is first a fall of heat in the air, and after this a still greater fall in the warm bath, followed, however, by a speedy rise.
1807 Morning Post 22 Sept. A fall of temperature equal to two or three degrees of the thermometer.
1823 W. Scoresby Jrnl. Voy. Northern Whale-fishery 30 The most remarkable fall of temperature I ever witnessed.
1868 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 28 Nov. 571/1 Six times there was a fall in weight during the following three weeks.
1906 U.S. Dept. Agric. Farmers' Bull. No. 258. 25 Death..is generally preceded by a marked fall of body temperature.
1956 Sci. News 40 46 This accounts for the marked fall in the number of bacteria.
1975 N.Y. Times 17 Nov. 24/3 Population decline correlates with at least a relative fall in average income.
2015 Hindustan (Nexis) 21 Dec. With the fall in temperature, the level of humidity will increase.
20. The manner in which words, a melody, etc., fall; the conclusion of a passage of words or of a melody; a cadence (in various senses). dying fall: a fading, anticlimactic, or downbeat conclusion to something (often echoing or with vague allusion to quot. a1616).
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > piece of music > section of piece of music > [noun] > ending > cadence
fall1565
cadence1597
close1597
clausula1636
reprise1786
1565 W. Allen Def. & Declar. Doctr. Purgatory ii. f. 123v The wearinesse of that roughe part..I shall in this booke wholy wype away: not by arte or pleasaunt fall of wordes..but by [etc.].
1589 G. Puttenham Arte Eng. Poesie ii. v. 63 We make in th'ends of our verses a certaine tunable sound: which anon after with another verse reasonably distant we accord together in the last fall or cadence.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Twelfth Night (1623) i. i. 4 That straine agen, it had a dying fall . View more context for this quotation
1637 J. Milton Comus 9 At every fall smoothing the Raven downe Of darknesse.
1713 A. Pope Ode Musick 2 By degrees, remote and small, The Strains decay, And melt away In a dying, dying Fall.
1743 J. Barclay Treat. Educ. xii. 230 So does the dying fall of harmony becalm our rage, and banish every care.
?1780 J. Beattie Hermit in Universal Songster 121 Why..Philomela, that languishing fall?
1855 A. Bain Senses & Intellect ii. ii. 464 The echo of one of the falls of an old utterance.
1878 F. Hueffer Troubadours i. x. 97 Even without this important aid, sufficient remains to connect the fall of the lines with the graceful harmonious action of the human body.
1916 J. C. Powys Suspended Judgments 240 This evocation of a pleasurable shock of mental excitement..does not seem produced so much by the sonority or euphonious fall of the actual words—as in the case of Oscar Wilde—..as by [etc.].
1946 M. Lowry Let. 2 Jan. in Sursum Corda! (1995) I. 516 The chapter closes with a dying fall, like the end of some guitar piece of Ed Lang's.
1978 New Yorker 27 Feb. 87/1 The lines [of dialogue] destroy the other performers; you see the sheepish faces and hear the dead fall of the words.
2004 Times Lit. Suppl. 27 Aug. 18/4 Her encounter with Bell finished on a dying fall—a protracted sigh for a way of life only celebrated now by period dramas and their nostalgia for [etc.].
21. The decline or closing part of a day, a year, or a person's life.Some instances of fall of the year may belong at sense 40a.In quot. 1712 fall of day apparently refers to the west, as being the direction of the setting sun: cf. sense 13a.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > end or conclusion > [noun] > the latter part
eveningOE
enda1200
eventide?c1225
finea1350
tail1377
latter (last) enda1382
issue1484
latter day?1498
waning1561
last days1572
heel1584
sunsetting1593
fall1596
lag-end1598
posterior1598
sunset1599
dotage1606
exit1615
stern1623
waning timea1639
last1683
heel piecea1764
shank1828
tail-end1845
tailpiece1869
tag1882
teatime1913
end-point1921
1596 E. Spenser Second Pt. Faerie Queene vi. iii. sig. Bb6v He arriuing with the fall of day,Drew to the gate. View more context for this quotation
1620 T. Venner Via Recta 13 Such as in the declining or fall of the yeare, which we call the Autumne, shall for the health of their bodies repaire to our Bathes.
1712 R. Blackmore Creation ii. 98 Th' adventurous Merchant thus pursues his Way Or to the Rise, or to the Fall of Day.
1727 P. Longueville Hermit p. ix Various Affairs will cause a World of Woes, Then in the Fall of Life how sweet's Repose.
1801 T. Campbell Caroline ii, in Morning Chron. 12 Aug. 3/1 Sacred to the fall of Day, Queen of propitious Stars.
1882 W. Besant Revolt of Man (1883) i. 8 The older pictures were mostly the heads of men, taken in the fall of life.
1920 Manch. Guardian 6 Nov. 10/5 The field over which the cross-crowned towers of the Cathedral throw their shadows at the fall of the day.
2011 H. L. Barnes When we walked above Clouds ii. 11 Taps announced the fall of day.
22. The descent, onset, or approach of night, twilight, etc. (occasionally also of winter).Sometimes as the second element of a compound, as darkfall, (especially) nightfall, winterfall: see the first element.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > [noun]
avalingc1380
descendinga1382
downcominga1398
lowinga1398
descenta1413
descencec1425
descensionc1425
degression1486
downcomea1522
downstroke1551
decourse1585
vailinga1593
nod1597
delapsion1603
delapse1625
down1647
fall1647
the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > [noun] > nearness, approach, or imminence
nighness1548
towardness1549
propinquity1611
approacha1616
coming1626
looming1627
impendencya1632
fall1647
imminence1655
impendence1657
instancy1658
imminency1665
soonness1668
incumbence1677
simmering1844
proximity1876
the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > beginning > [noun]
ordeOE
thresholdeOE
frumthc950
anginOE
frumeOE
worthOE
beginninga1225
springc1225
springc1225
commencementc1250
ginninga1300
comsingc1325
entryc1330
aginning1340
alphac1384
incomea1400
formec1400
ingressc1420
birtha1425
principlea1449
comsementa1450
resultancec1450
inition1463
inceptiona1483
entering1526
originala1529
inchoation1530
opening1531
starting1541
principium1550
entrance1553
onset1561
rise1589
begin1590
ingate1591
overture1595
budding1601
initiationa1607
starting off1616
dawninga1631
dawn1633
impriminga1639
start1644
fall1647
initial1656
outset1664
outsettinga1698
going off1714
offsetting1782
offset1791
commence1794
aurora1806
incipiency1817
set-out1821
set-in1826
throw-off1828
go-off1830
outstart1844
start1857
incipience1864
oncome1865
kick-off1875
off-go1886
off1896
get-go1960
lift-off1967
1647 tr. G. Wishart Hist. Kings Affairs Scotl. under Montrose xi. 91 They were parted by the fall of the night.
1656 Ld. Orrery Parthenissa V. iii. iii. 192 Fifteen thousand, Horse and Foot, were sent..about fall of the Night.
1661 R. Lovell Πανζωορυκτολογια, sive Panzoologicomineralogia 229 They are best..at the fall and dead of Winter.
1751 Scots Mag. Mar. 157/1 After the fall of night on Saturday, they set out.
1791 A. Radcliffe Romance of Forest I. vii. 267 Remaining here till the fall of twilight in fruitless expectation.
1817 J. Keats Poems 86 The lore so voluble and deep, That aye at fall of night our care condoles.
1823 Ld. Byron Don Juan: Canto VII lvi. 93 Towards the twilight's fall.
1900 C. J. C. Hyne Lost Continent xvi. 287 With the fall of darkness I managed to haul myself up into a tree.
1923 Daily Times Enterprise (Thomasville, Georgia) 11 Aug. 2/2 Indications point to the homeward trek of thousands before the fall of winter.
1954 M. Waldman tr. R. Jungk Tomorrow is already Here iii. 96 Very long thin pylons with lamps that seem like pinheads which, at the fall of darkness, set up a floodlight barrier of glaring white rays.
2012 J. Roe Bronx Requiem (Electronic ed.) All his prior trips had come under cover of dusk or at the fall of night.
III. As a measure.
23.
a. Chiefly Scottish and English regional (northern). A measure of land area equal to one square fall (36 square ells), varying locally. Now historical.In Scotland, a fall was equal to approx. 343.1 square feet (31.9 square metres).
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement of area > [noun] > a system or process of measuring land > square rod, pole, or perch
falla1242
percha1398
rood?c1450
rod?a1560
pole1637
pole square1707
lug1727
a1242 in J. T. Fowler Memorials Church SS. Peter & Wilfrid, Ripon (1908) IV. 73 Que parcelle iacent in hiis locis, sc. in occidentali parte de Gillyng, j roda et di., et duo fall, et ad pontem de Yor, j roda et octo fall.
c1430 Acts Parl. Scotl. (1814) I. 387/1 The aker sall contene four rude..þe rude .xl. fallis The fall sall hald .vj. ellis.
1597 J. Skene De Verborum Significatione at Particata Ane superficiall fall of Lande..conteinis ane lineall fall of bredth and ane lineall fall of length.
1629 in Court Leet Rec. Manch. (1886) III. 152 Adam Smith hath purchased..ffoure ffalles of land.
1760 in Scotsman 20 Aug. (1885) 5/3 Fourteen acres, thirty-three falls, and six ells of ground.
1827 H. Steuart Planter's Guide (1828) 343 At the rate of 9d. or 10d. per Scotch Fall (which is about one fifth part larger than the English Pole or Rod).
1864 A. McKay Hist. Kilmarnock (ed. 3) 303 The Green then measured eighty-seven falls.
1938 Scotsman 28 July 1 Also a bit of ground adjoining [Mauchline] Church of 24 falls or thereby.
1977 Sc. Hist. Rev. 56 136 Rood... A m-a [= measure of area] for land consisting of 40 sq. falls (1285.587 sq. m.) or 1440 sq. ells equal to 13,838.4 English sq. feet or 0.3177 English acre.
b. Chiefly Scottish and English regional (northern). A unit of length used esp. for measuring land, equal to one fortieth of a furlong, and varying according to the local length of the furlong; also called perch, pole, rod. Now historical.In Scotland, a fall was equal to 18.5 feet (approx. 5.65 metres).In quot. 1610 more generally: any of various units of length.In early use with unchanged plural when preceded by a cardinal number, a common feature of words denoting units of measurement (cf. foot n. 6a, pound n.1).
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement of length > [noun] > units of length or distance > rod, pole, or perch
yard900
roodOE
perchc1300
rodc1380
fall1388
goad1391
polea1500
lug1562
farthing1602
land-pole1603
gad1706
virgate1772
perk1825
esperduct1866
gad-stick1866
1388 in J. H. Ramsay Bamff Charters (1915) 22 The qhylk toftis haldis of lenthe achttene fal lang.
1437 in C. Innes Registrum de Dunfermelyn (1842) 285 The qwhilk land..is of quantite tua acris, thre rudis, & fyften fall in the hale.
1532 in J. B. Paul & J. M. Thomson Registrum Magni Sigilli Regum Scotorum (1883) III. 383/2 Lie Halhill, extenden. ad iij casuras virge, viz. lie fawis.
1597 J. Skene De Verborum Significatione at Particata Sa meikle lande as in measuring falles vnder the rod or raip, in length is called ane fall of measure, or ane lineall fall.
1607 J. Cowell Interpreter sig. Bbb3/2 And it is to be vnderstood, that one rod, one raip, one lineall fall of measure, are all one, for each one of them containeth sixe elnes in length.
1610 W. Folkingham Feudigraphia ii. iv. 52 Lineal Fals. Lineall dimensions are diuersified..as Inches, Palmes [etc.].
1662 W. Dugdale Hist. Imbanking & Drayning Fens 165 Another [Gote] to be set fourscore falls beneath the old Sea Gote.
1745 tr. D. Gregory Treat. Pract. Geom. i. 7 Twelve inches make a foot; three feet and an inch make the Scots ell; six ells make a fall; forty falls make a furlong.
1807 T. Young Course Lect. Nat. Philos. II. 151/1 (table) Scotch Measures. An ell is 37.2 E. inches. A fall 223.2. A furlong 8932. A mile 71424.
1869 J. C. Atkinson Peacock's Gloss. Dial. Hundred of Lonsdale Fau',..a rood of lineal land-measure of seven yards.
1990 R. E. Zupko Revol. Measurem. i. 6 The Scots mile was 320 falls (1814.170 m) or 1920 ells equal to 1984 English yards or 5952 English feet.
†c. In marl-digging: a unit of volume equal to 64 cubic yards (approx. 48.93 cubic metres). Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > measurement > the scientific measurement of volume > [noun] > cubic yard > sixty-four cubic yards
fall1806
1806 Comm. to Board Agric. Husb. & Internal Improvem. V. i. 58 The general rule for marling is, at the rate of 4 falls or perches of 64 cubic yards to our customary acre.
1849 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 10 i. 27 The marl is calculated [in Lancashire] by the fall, which is 64 cubic yards.
IV. The fact of matters falling or turning out in a particular way; that which falls to one's share; that which befalls, a happening, an occurrence.
†24. That which befalls or happens to a person; one's fortune, fate, lot, situation, appointed duty, etc. Obsolete (Scottish in later use).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > necessity > fate or destiny as determining events > [noun] > that which is ordained by fate > personal destiny or one's lot
lotOE
chance1297
fallc1300
weirds1320
cuta1340
fatec1374
vie1377
parta1382
foredoom1563
event1577
allotment1586
fatality1589
kincha1600
lines1611
fortunea1616
dispensation1704
c1300 Body & Soul (Laud Misc. 108) (1889) 53 (MED) Þerfore mote we kepe ore fal, Pine and schame and sorewe inouȝ.
c1400 (?a1300) Kyng Alisaunder (Laud) (1952) l. 4398 (MED) Þis was to grece a sory fal.
1490 Caxton's Blanchardyn & Eglantine (1962) xx. 68 Held her hert..so ouer pressid wyth loue that she had to blanchardyn, that she myght noo lenger hyde her falle.
1490 W. Caxton tr. Foure Sonnes of Aymon (1885) xii. 304 Fowle fall have I now yf I feyne me now.
a1533 Ld. Berners tr. A. de Guevara Golden Bk. M. Aurelius (1546) sig. P A sodayne falle of mischaunce.
c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 124v Thy fall and þi faith is foule loste.
1631 T. Heywood Fair Maid of West: 2nd Pt. iv. sig. H3 What must my next fall be?
1721 R. Wodrow Corr. (1843) II. 557 It is my fall to go to the next Assembly.
1786 R. Burns Poems 60 Black be your fa!
1824 G. Smith Douglas Travestie 60 If e'er a captain's post shall be my fa', I'll maybe be mair sparin' o' my jaw.
1885 W. Adamson Abbot of Aberbrothock viii. 85 Love for aye wad be oor fa', An' time an' life wad slip awa'.
1916 M. Maclean Songs Roving Celt 34 Sorra tak' the sodger loon, An' dowie be his fa'.
†25. The descent of an estate or inheritance. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > legal right > right of possession or ownership > right to succeed to title, position, or estate > succession > [noun] > handing down to successor
fall1579
devolution1627
1579 J. Stubbs Discouerie Gaping Gulf sig. Diij Noble men..in their vsuall conveighances do marshall the fal of theyr inheritances by limitation vpon limitation.
a1599 E. Spenser View State Ireland 95 in J. Ware Two Hist. Ireland (1633) For whensoever the Earle shall die, all those lands..are to come unto her Majesty, he is like to make a foule stirre there..through supportance of some others who..looke after the fall of that inheritance.
1691 J. Flavel Reasonableness Personal Reformation v. 89 When they have gotten enough by Trade, or by the fall of their paternal Estates..then they design to alter their Course of Life.
26. Originally: †the day (of the week) on which a particular feast day, etc., occurs (obsolete). In later use only: the fact of such a day occurring at a specified time (e.g. early or late in the year). Cf. fall v. 51b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > particular time > [noun] > the date > on which days will fall
fall1583
1583 P. Stubbes Second Pt. Anat. Abuses sig. I7v [The almanac may be useful] to distinguish winter from sommer, spring from haruest, the change of the moone, the fall of euerie day.
1658 T. Carwell Labyrinthus Cantuariensis xxi. 278 The Bishop of Alexandria..should take care, that the fall of Easter day might be exactly calculated euery yeare.
1760 R. Heath Astronomia Accurata 181 (table) Moveable Feasts for ever, according to the Fall of Easter.
1856 Daily News 17 Mar. 3/6 Many disadvantages presented themselves, owing to the early fall of Easter, and the usual difficulty that arises in keeping men together at vacation time.
1954 Elyria (Ohio) Chron.-Telegram 31 Dec. 44/6 The best break merchants will get from the calendar is the fall of Thanksgiving and Christmas.
1997 Guardian 4 Jan. 23/1 Comparisons [of sales figures] are twisted by the fall of Christmas Day.
2016 Irish Independent (Nexis) 19 Jan. The upcoming mock exams, slightly earlier than usual this year due to the early fall of Easter.
V. In various concrete applications.
27.
a.
(a) A cascade of water falling from a height, formed when a river or stream flows over a precipice or ledge; a waterfall, a cataract. Also: a fast-flowing, turbulent section of a stream or river caused by a downward slope of the bed; a rapid.Recorded earliest in waterfall n.; in early use sometimes also fall of water.The plural denotes distinct waterfalls; contrast sense 27a(b).
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > water > waterfall > [noun]
linnc975
waterfallOE
fallc1350
spout1534
waterspout1560
overfall1596
force1600
sault1600
watershoot1669
cascade1671
leap1796
chute1805
water wall1847
c1350 (?c1250) in J. T. Fowler Chartularium Abbathiæ de Novo Monasterio (1878) 63 Sicud Derestrete vadit inter Filton et Toland usque ad Waterfal, et a Waterfal per Slade.
c1450 Treat. Fishing in J. McDonald et al. Origins of Angling (1963) 15 In depe, stiff stremys and yn falles of watur and weeres.
1580 J. Florio tr. J. Cartier Shorte Narr. Two Nauigations Newe Fraunce 54 In the middest of those fieldes wee mighte see further a greate waye than where wee hadde lefte oure boates, where was the greatest and the swiftest fall of water that anye where hathe been seene.
1584 J. Rainolds & J. Hart Summe of Conf. iii. 149 We read of them who dwell about the fall of the riuer Nilus, where it tumbleth downe from the hye mountaines, that they [etc.]
1674 N. Fairfax Treat. Bulk & Selvedge 185 The shallow waters that drill between the pebbles in the Falls of Guiny or Africa.
1744 A. Dobbs Acct. Countries adjoining Hudson's Bay 64 From this River to the Fall of Niagara is 30 Leagues; this is supposed to be the greatest Fall in this Globe.
1787 T. Best Conc. Treat. Angling (ed. 2) 30 It is good angling..at the falls of mills.
1832 H. Martineau Life in Wilds ix. 116 On that fall of the stream will be our mill.
1858 Handbk. Travellers in Switzerland (ed. 8) i. 20/1 By approaching the fall on this side [of the river] nothing is seen of it until it is at once presented in its most magnificent point of view.
1928 Anita (Iowa) Rec. 23 Aug. The splash of the 107-foot-high middle fall of the Genesee in its high-walled, rocky canyon is audible from the portico of Glen Iris.
1958 J. Carew Black Midas vi. 108 We camped in the Perenong back-dam within shouting distance of the Grass Fall.
2013 J. Sheer Take a Hike Los Angeles (ed. 2) i. 33 You will probably want to go see the waterfall in Sycamore Canyon. This small fall is set in a lovely sandstone grotto.
(b) In plural (denoting either a single waterfall, or a sequence of connected or adjoining ones). Sometimes with singular agreement.Now commoner than sense 27a(a). Often in the names of particular waterfalls, as Niagara Falls, Falls of Clyde, etc.
ΚΠ
1608 J. Smith True Relation Occurr. Virginia sig. A4 The next day..we returned to the fals, leauing a mariner in pawn with the Indians for a guide of theirs.
1671 Jrnl. 17 Sept. in E. O′Callaghan Documents Colonial Hist. N.-Y. (1853) III. 196 When they came to ye River side they found it..much like the Falls of James River in Virginia.
1747 W. Douglass Summary State Brit. Settlements N.-Amer. I. iii. 183 The Apalatian Mountains..reach from the Niagara Falls..to the Bay of Apalachie.
1756 tr. J. G. Keyssler Trav. I. 7 Of the falls in the Rhine, near Schaffhausen.
1769 T. Gray Jrnl. 9 Oct. in Corr. (1971) III. 1102 After dinner went..to see the falls (or force) of the river Kent.
?1788 S. Shaw Tour London to Western Highlands Scotl. 130 We were to pass the same way on the morrow to the falls of Clyde.
1819 E. Dana Geogr. Sketches 77 Zanesville is..at the falls, whereon various mills are erected.
1872 R. W. Raymond Statistics Mines & Mining 198 The roar of the falls is heard in the distance.
1894 Amer. Naturalist 28 861 At the beginning, the river flowed from lake to lake without a falls.
1932 W. H. Emmons et al. Geol. vi. 133 Large masses of rock plunge into the pool at the bottom of the falls.
1967 E. Swift Conservation Saga ii. iii. 79 Brunet..built a trading post at a falls which bore his name and is now buried under a concrete dam.
1997 M. Groening et al. Simpsons: Compl. Guide 189/3 Carl. Oh, no! He's going over the falls! Lenny. Oh, good! He snagged that tree branch!
2006 Huddersfield Daily Examiner (Nexis) 25 July 35 The falls rise a kilometre from the forest, dropping off a table mountain.
†b. The fast-flowing stretch of water or rapid under a bridge produced by the narrowing of the channel. Cf. shoot n.1 5a, waterfall n. 3. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1625 J. Saris in S. Purchas Pilgrimes I. 337 A very fearefull rippling of the water, much like vnto the fall at London Bridge.
1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §115 Waters, when they..are straitned (as in the falls of Bridges).
1770 R. Erskine Diss. Rivers & Tides 17 When the great Arch of the Bridge was opened, the Increase of Water-way very sensibly diminished the Fall.
1800 R. Mylne in 3rd. Rep. Improvem. Port of London App. 26 The whole Pier..dissolved away in the Midst of that impetuous Agent the Fall under the Bridge.
1828 T. Tredgold Elem. Princ. Carpentry (ed. 2) viii. 134 It would not be prudent, even in level situations, to contract the water-way so as to produce a rapid fall under the bridge.
1911 Academy 14 Jan. 51/2 The resistance..caused [by the arches] to the waters of the Thames produced a fall, or rapid, which rendered river-traffic dangerous.
†c. An obstruction over which water falls. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > ridge > [noun]
hoe?c700
rig?c1475
banda1522
ridgea1552
fall1749
dorsum1782
wave1789
spine1796
cuesta1818
bult1852
razorback1874
1749 Acct. Voy. for Discov. North-west Passage II. 26 Some Pieces [of ice] stopped upon a Fall or Ridge of Stone.
28. A covey or flock (of woodcock).One of many alleged group names found in late Middle English glossarial sources, but not otherwise substantiated. Revived in 20th cent.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > order Charadriiformes > family Scolopacidae (snipes, etc.) > [noun] > member of genus Scolopax (woodcock) > group of
falla1450
a1450 Terms Assoc. in PMLA (1936) 51 603 (MED) A falle of Wodekokys.
c1475 in J. Hodgkin Proper Terms (1909) 51 (MED) A ffalle of woodecockys.
?1477 in Lydgate’s Horse, Ghoos, & Sheep (Caxton) A Falle of Wodecoks.
1486 Bk. St. Albans sig. fviv A fall of woodecockis.
1938 Country Life & Sportsman Oct. 98/3 There'll be another frost tonight and no doubt another fall of woodcock in the covers in the morning.
1992 N. V. Berberick Child of Elvish xxii. 160 A fall of woodcocks skimmed a tree-ringed meadow.
29.
a. Mechanics. The loose end of rope in a tackle, to which the power is applied in hoisting. In Nautical use also: the loose end of any rope forming part of a ship's rigging. Frequently in plural.tackle-falls: see tackle n. Compounds 2.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > lifting or hoisting equipment > [noun] > tackle > loose end of
fall1488
1488 in T. Thomson Acts Lords Auditors (1839) 113/2 Defalkand..alsmekele as the efter fallis of the teis of the schip..is prufit of avale.
1642 H. Bond Boate Swaines Art sig. A2v 2 Falles of the Spritsaile Topmast Takles... 1 Fall of the Spritsaile Cranlines... 2 Fore Topmast Takle Falles... 2 Falles of the fore Topgallant Backstaies.
1644 H. Mainwaring Sea-mans Dict. 38 The small roapes which we hale-by in all tackles, is called the fall of the tackle.
c1680 T. Bowrey Geogr. Acct. Countries Bay of Bengal (1905) 103 To the dogs were fitted good straps and fourefold tackles, the falls of 15 or 16 inch Coyre Cable.
1711 W. Sutherland Ship-builders Assistant 142 For the Spritsail Top-mast... Falls of the Pendants, ½ the Pendant, and 6 times as long.
1753 J. Smeaton in Philos. Trans. 1751–2 (Royal Soc.) 47 495 The..line, by which the draught is made..commonly called, the fall of the tackle.
1828 J. M. Spearman Brit. Gunner 184 7..assists..in passing the fall round the windlass.
1849 A. H. Layard Nineveh & Remains II. i. xiii. 80 The ends, or falls of the tackle..being..held by the Arabs.
1953 H. G. Smith Arts of Sailor (1990) v. 37 The simplest means of securing the fall of the tackle is to use this hitch as shown in the illustration.
1981 D. Pope Ramage & Renegades ii. 25 Seamen hoisting on the fall of the rope brought the red chair up above the bulwarks.
2017 forum.woodenboat.com 25 Jan. (O.E.D. Archive) Then you haul on the snotter tackle, the sprit goes up, you cleat the fall of the tackle, and you're done.
b. Nautical. In plural. The tackles by which a lifeboat, ship's boat, etc., is hoisted or lowered from the davits.
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society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > tackle or purchase > [noun] > for raising or lowering ship's boats
fall1816
1816 N.-Y. City-hall Recorder Dec. 182/1 The boat was hung at the stern by Davy-falls, in the usual manner, by which she might be let down in the water.
1828 Boston Courier 28 Feb. Cordage..was fitted..as main, main top, and foretopsail braces, main clue garnets, davits, and stern boat falls.
1832 F. Marryat Newton Forster I. x. 130 Overhaul the boat's falls.
1955 A. MacLean H.M.S. Ulysses i. 36 The motorboat made it back to the Ulysses and was hooked onto the falls just in time.
2015 A. Khalique Basic Offshore Safety vii. 242 The off-load release gear releases the lifeboat from the falls.
†c. An apparatus attached to an external wall of a warehouse and used for raising or lowering goods. Obsolete.In quot. 1868 perhaps: = fall-way n. at Compounds 4.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > lifting or hoisting equipment > [noun] > others
polancre1356
spindle1398
wrest1584
handscrew?1660
sea-crab1689
lewis1743
crab1753
wheel and axle (also axis)1773
tippler1831
fall1834
outrigger hoist1835
lewisson1842
power hoist1869
tipper1870
lifting screw1885
powerlifter1909
bucket chain1911
bracket-crab-
1834 F. Marryat Jacob Faithful I. xvii. 291 When the fall had been overhauled down, to heave up the casks with which the lighter was laden.
1859 J. R. Bartlett Dict. Americanisms (ed. 2) Fall-way, the opening or well through which goods are raised and lowered by a fall.
1868 S. Purdy Rep. Internal Revenue Calif. 195 in U.S. Congress. Serial Set (1869) (41st Congr., 1st Sess.: House of Representatives Executive Doc. 6) I passed the warehouse..and saw two doors and the fall on the Broadway side open and men putting casks into the warehouse.
30. As an article of dress or personal adornment.
a. A broad band of fabric fastened at the neck and lying flat against the body; = falling band n. at falling adj. Compounds 2. Now rare (historical in later use).Not always clearly distinguishable from sense 30c.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > neck-wear > [noun] > collar > types of > other
rabat1578
falling band1581
rebato1589
fall1598
piccadill1607
golilla1673
collarettea1685
banda1700
turn-over1716
Vandyke1755
falling-down collar1758
falling collar1770
fall-down?1796
yoke collar1817
rabatine1821
dicky1830
dog collar1852
Piccadilly collar1853
all-rounder1854
all round1855
turnover collara1861
Quaker collar1869
Eton collar1875
Toby collar1885
Eton1887
sailor collar1895
roll-neck1898
Shakespeare collar1907
polo collar1909
white-collar1910
tab collar1928
Peter Pan collar1948
tie-neck1968
1598 J. Marston Certaine Satyres iii, in Metamorph. Pigmalions Image 51 Vnder that fayre Ruffe so sprucely set Appeares a fall, a falling-band forsooth.
1604 T. Dekker & T. Middleton Honest Whore sig. C4v So Poke my ruffe now, my gowne, my gown, haue I my fall?
1640 Wits Recreations sig. F8v A question 'tis why women weare a fall.
1822 R. Nares Gloss. Fall, or Falling-band, a part of dress, now usually called a vandyke; it fell flat upon the dress from the neck.
1852 W. M. Thackeray Henry Esmond III. viii. 195 His lordship was represented in his scarlet uniform..with..a fall of Bruxelle's lace.
1858 P. L. Simmonds Dict. Trade Products Fall, a border of lace to the neck-part or body of a lady's evening dress.
1879 Belgravia Oct. 442 Maître Farcy was installed in his black gown and cambric fall.
1947 Burlington Mag. Sept. 254/2 A lace fall encircles her neck, round which is a string of pearls.
1979 Bull. Res. in Humanities 82 11 The fall, a simpler substitute for the ruff, was a larger and more fashionable collar than the one Donne is wearing.
†b. A kind of veil worn by women; esp. one hanging from the front of a bonnet. Obsolete.In some later instances perhaps no more than a contextual use of sense 30c.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > headgear > [noun] > veil > types of
flockard1465
power1526
crispa1592
fall1611
mant1651
mantilla1717
bridal veil1769
litham1839
voilette1842
yashmak1844
weeper1845
birdcage veil1888
fingertip veil1888
ghoonghat1916
spiderveil1922
niqab1936
full veil1937
1611 C. Tourneur Atheist's Trag. (new ed.) iv. sig. H2v There are those Falles and Tyres I tolde you of.
1620 Descr. Love (ed. 2) sig. C3 Why women weare a Fall, I do not know, Vnlesse it onely be to make a show.
1841 S. E. Ferrier Marriage (new ed.) II. xxiv. 335 The Chantilly ‘fall’ which embellished the front of her bonnet.
1894 Illustr. Police News 14 July 2/1 She raised her rather thick fall, and I beheld one of the most perfect faces I ever saw even in a picture.
c. A decorative ruffle or trimming of lace or other light material, feathers, etc., which hangs down from the point at which it is attached.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > parts of clothing > [noun] > trimmings or ornamentation > ruffle or frill
ruff?1523
chitterling1576
hand-ruff1581
peak1591
frislet1607
fall1634
ruffle1659
furbelow1706
flounce1726
Valenciennes1764
ruche1806
ruching1847
volant1851
flouncing1865
balayeuse1882
cascade1882
goffering1889
tier1934
1634 T. Carew Cœlum Britanicum 2 Mercury descends..upon his head a wreath with smal fals of white Feathers.
1679 P. Rycaut Present State Greek Church 204 These wear Caps turned up with white, from which hangs a fall of the same Cloth on their backs.
1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. 258/1 Some..have..Falls or long Cufts to hang over the Hands.
1757 G. Shelvocke, Jr. Shelvocke's Voy. round World (ed. 2) iii. 112 The Montera or Spanish cap, made with a fall to cover their neck and shoulders.
1777 Lady A. Miller Lett. from Italy (ed. 2) II. lii. 349 Their sleeves were covered up to the shoulders with falls of the finest Brussels lace.
1841 New Monthly Belle Assemblée June 375/1 The corsages of these robes..are always trimmed with a fall of lace, or a lace berthe.
1883 Democrat (Brazil, Indiana) 20 Dec. The brim [of the bonnet] is veiled by a fall of short ostrich tips.
1906 Illustr. Milliner Mar. 31/2 [She] was gowned in royal blue satin,..the skirt finished with a fall of lace.
1960 C. W. Cunnington et al. Dict. Eng. Costume 158/1 Peasant skirt. 1885. A full round tennis skirt made with 2 or 3 wide tucks and a fall of lace.
2010 A. Bolton Anna Sui 163/4 Sui's use of falls of lace, frothy ruffles, and transparent materials were also elements of late-1890s women's fashions.
d. Frequently in plural in later use. On a pair of breeches, trousers, etc.: a flap of material sewn to the base of the opening at the crotch, and held in place by buttons attached just below or on the waistband; = fall-down n. 1(a). Now chiefly historical or with reference to trousers worn for protection, riding, etc.Often with modifying word, as broad, split, whole, etc.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for legs > clothing for legs and lower body > [noun] > trousers > parts of > fastening > cloth covering
fall1796
fall-piece1837
fly1844
1796 Trial R. T. Crossfield for High Treason 120 I stopped to make water, as I was buttoning up the fall of my breeches, a hare came through my arm.
1848 in J. Wroe Communications for Members Israelite Church 1843–52 (1863) III. 233 All trousers to be made with a flap extending from side-seam to side-seam; that is to say, with a whole fall.
1871 Gaz. Fashion 1 Apr. 95/2 Grooms..wear drab cord or cassimere breeches... They are made with ‘split’ falls.
1888 H. H. Bancroft Calif. Pastoral xii. 383 Short breeches..with bragueta, a fall or flap in front, fastened with a large silver or copper button.
1918 Clothier & Furnisher Jan. 90/2 (advt.) Sailor trousers made with broad fall and trimmed with smoked pearl buttons.
1959 Mod. Refrigeration & Air Control News Mar. 286/1 The white Fearnought trousers to match, have whole falls, calico pockets, patches on knees.
1984 J. Nunn Fashion in Costume 1200–1980 78 Breeches..fastened..with small or whole falls..which became general after 1750.
2015 J. Blanco F. et al. Clothing & Fashion I. 284/1 Breeches were fastened by a row of buttons at the crotch rather than being concealed by a flap, or falls, which was added later when the length of the waistcoat was shortened.
e. North American. A long hairpiece that is attached to a person's natural hair at the crown of the head.
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the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the hair > practice of wearing artificial hair > [noun] > artificial hair > section or lock of
sidelock1530
lock1601
tour1674
snake1676
front1693
bull-tour1724
back-head1731
ramillies tail1782
frontlet1785
frisette1818
toupee1862
postiche1867
switch1870
pin-curl1873
scalpette1881
wig-tail1888
chichi1906
hairpiece1939
fall1943
toup1959
1943 Bonham (Texas) Daily Favorite 9 Aug. 2/5 Treat your fall, half-wig or pinned-on bangs just as you would your own natural hair.
1968 S. E. Whitfield in S. E. Whitfield & G. Roddenberry Making of ‘Star Trek’ iv. v. 354 Pat uses very few wigs, working mostly with falls, wiglets, and braids.
1988 L. V. Powlis Beauty from Inside Out 91 Switches, chignons, braids and falls are hairpieces that bring versatility to any hairstyle.
2006 N.Y. Times 22 Oct. (T: Style Mag.) 62 Between Luigi and his seven assistants, there were at least 50..bags..filled with hairpieces, falls.., toupees.., [etc.].
31. Horticulture. In an iris flower: any of the three outer perianth segments, which are petal-like, typically bent downwards, and often marked with lines or spots of contrasting colour or with a tuft of hairs. Contrasted with standard n. 6a.
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the world > plants > part of plant > reproductive part(s) > flower or part containing reproductive organs > [noun] > parts of > petal
leafeOE
fall1629
petalum1687
petal1712
petalon1720
flower-leaf1727
leafit1830
leaflet1855
phyllode1874
1629 J. Parkinson Paradisi in Sole 177 There is another [Flowerdeluce], whose falling leaues haue a little shew of yellownesse in them... And another, whose falls are of a yellowish white.., and the vpright leaues of a blewish white.
a1678 T. Hanmer Garden Bk. (1933) 41 The Pirenean Iris, with yellow falls.
1773 J. Abercrombie Every Man his Own Gardener (ed. 6) 472/1 Bulbous iris, Persian, with three erect blue petals, called standards and three reflexed petals called falls.
1785 T. Martyn in tr. J.-J. Rousseau Lett. Elements Bot. xiv. 161 The three outermost of these parts..are bent downwards, and thence are called falls.
1880 Jrnl. Hort., Cottage Gardener & Home Farmer 22 Apr. 318/2 The ground colour is yellow, over which dark reddish-purple veins are very closely reticulated, in the centre of each fall being an intensely dark blotch.
1924 W. R. Dykes Handbk. Garden Irises i. 1 An Iris flower consists usually of three outer segments called falls and of three inner segments called standards.
1989 Gardeners' Encycl. Plants & Flowers (Royal Hort. Soc.) 494/3 Each fall [of Iris histrioides] is lightly to strongly spotted with dark blue.
2014 BBC Gardeners' World (Special Subscriber ed.) Oct. 85/1 Known as the widow iris, this graceful and desirable plant [sc. Hermodactylus tuberosus] produces striking green blooms with almost-black falls.
32.
a. A falling or cascading mass of hair, fabric, etc.
ΚΠ
a1766 F. Sheridan Hist. Nourjahad (1767) 221 A fine fall of brown hair..dropping in light curls on his neck and blushing cheeks.
1809 Scots Mag. Oct. 739/1 Two figures are painted on each side of the arch... A crimson fall of drapery in rich folds is painted within the arch.
1862 E. D. E. N. Southworth Love's Labors Won 27 Lustrous black hair..was..turned over a jeweled comb in a luxuriant fall of ringlets at the back of her head.
1921 Atlanta Constit. 28 Aug. (Mag. section) Facing him as he lay—he was lying—a fall of drapery, of curtains.
1972 D. Ramsay Little Murder Music 123 A shoulder-length fall of blue-black hair divided by a snow-white part in centre.
1998 Church Times 6 Feb. 10/5 A spectacular pink coxcomb bract, from which a fall of pink, purple, and green-streaked flowers splashes down.
2002 E. Kushner & D. Sherman Fall of Kings 226 His face was hidden by a fall of hair, some of it braided with ribbon.
b. The long hair hanging down over the faces of certain breeds of terrier.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > family Canidae > terrier > [noun] > parts of
thumb-mark1877
fall?1879
?1879 H. Dalziel Brit. Dogs iii. i. 435 The eyes [of the Yorkshire terrier], only seen when the ‘fall’ or hair of the face is parted, are small, keen, and bright.
1908 J. Maxtee Eng. & Welsh Terriers 86 When the coat is sufficiently long to justify its being done, the ‘fall’ (as the long hair covering the face is termed by fanciers) should be plaited and tied up over the head with ribbon.
1948 in B. Vesey-Fitzgerald Bk. Dog 996 Fall, the long fringe of hair overhanging the face of the Yorkshire, Skye and Clydesdale terriers.
2003 D. C. Coile Yorks. Terrier Handbk. 145/1 The fall on the head is long, tied with one bow in center of head.
33. A strip or wedge of earth split off in one piece by undermining the working face of an excavation. Now rare.Originally a specific term in the extraction of marl (cf. sense 23c); later also in extended use.
ΚΠ
1766 T. Sadler Poems Var. Subj. 65 For Slips or Falls of Marl, Multiply ⅔ of the Versed Sine, by the Chord Line, and Multiply that by the equated Depth, and you have the Content of the Slip.
1838 Preston Chron. & Lancs. Advertiser 16 June [He] was getting down a fall of marl, and was standing beneath while undermining it, when a large quantity of that material fell upon him.
1953 A. H. Reed Story of Kauri 104 He purchased the land and put a number of men on to it to take it down in ‘falls’ and remove the gum like a crop of potatoes.
†34. The roots and stumps of felled trees. Cf. sense 3a. Obsolete.
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the world > plants > part of plant > part of tree or woody plant > [noun] > stump > left after felling
stumpc1440
hag1618
stoola1722
moot1777
fall1785
hagsnar1796
1785 J. Phillips Treat. Inland Navigation 40 Grubbing up the fall at fifty years, then planting again in the same place.
35.
a. That part of the front of a desk, bureau, or similar item of furniture which may be folded down to form a writing surface, or (later) drawn down to close up the contents of the desk. Cf. fall-front adj. and n.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > desk > [noun] > parts of
fall1788
roller top1811
loper1833
pedestal1866
roll-top1886
rim1923
desktop1929
1788 Cabinet-makers London Bk. Prices 40 A three foot desk, solid ends, veneer'd fall, front, and top 3 drawers in front..the fall to lift up, without tambour or irons, on common brackets.
1841 E. Curtis Let. 9 Nov. 4 in U.S. Congress. Serial Set (27th Congr., 2nd Sess.: House of Representatives Doc. 22) I One mahogany writing desk, 4 feet long, with fall, bookcase below.
1874 Times 5 June 16/5 (advt.) The fittings for [the] library include the bookcases, pedestal writing table, cylinder fall, chairs in leather, &c.
1935 Country Life 20 Apr. p. xxxi/2 The drawers in the frieze and surmounting the cylinder [of the writing table] are inlaid with delicate festoons of husks, the cylinder fall with a festoon of husks and an oval patera.
1990 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) (Nexis) 31 July Sometimes a solid cylinder fall made from segments of wood glued together that slid into the back of the piece was used instead.
2017 www.sellingantiques.co.uk 2 Feb. (O.E.D. Archive) The top of the bureau is profusely inlaid... Below this is the marquetry inlaid fall which opens to reveal a fitted interior comprising various drawers and two wells.
b. On a piano, organ, etc.: the movable front of the case, which may be drawn or folded down to cover the keyboard; = fallboard n. (b) at fall v. Compounds.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > keyboard instrument > stringed keyboards > [noun] > pianoforte > other parts, etc.
ogee front1815
sticker1822
fall1823
string-plate1827
piano leg1852
polychord1858
agraffe1860
mopstick1870
music rest1874
check-bara1877
hammer-action1885
escapement1896
set-off1896
set-off button1896
shift1896
shifting keyboard1896
1823 Times 27 Jan. (advt.) Finger Organ to be Sold.., in an elegant mahogany case, with circular flap fall.
1828 Times 26 Dec. (advt.) An excellent 6-octave Cabinet Piano, in handsome French polished mahogany case, circular fall, Parisian columns.
1972 J. Last Young Pianist (ed. 2) ii. 22 Let the pupil rest the four fingers on a table, or on the closed fall of the piano.
36.
a. A flap of leather or cloth overhanging a shelf of books, serving to protect the tops of the books from dust.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > book > parts of book > [noun] > cover > wrapper or loose cover
wrapper1806
fall1837
book wrapper1844
jacket1850
book jacket1859
chemise1893
dust cover1902
book folder1925
dust jacket1928
dust-wrapper1932
1837 A. Panizzi Let. 19 Oct. in Brit. Mus. Gen. Meetings & Trustees Standing Comm.: Orig. Papers (BL, BM/1/17) With respect to straps or falls to preserve the books from dust I should think it desirable to have every one of the shelves throughout the library provided with them.
1897 F. J. Burgoyne Library Constr. 50 Falls should be of some cheaper material than leather.
1912 Middlesex Gaz. 12 Oct. 2/1 (advt.) A handsome rosewood bookcase..five adjustable shelves, with leather falls.
1990 B. B. Higginbotham Our Past Preserved v. 54 There is considerable evidence in the American library press that British libraries favored attaching leather or cloth ‘falls’ to their shelves.
b. More generally: a piece of fabric, leather, etc., intended to hang down from the edge of something, either for decorative effect or to provide protection.Apparently used esp. with reference to church furnishings.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > covers or hangings > [noun] > hangings > a hanging
banker?c1350
coster1395
costeringa1427
hanging1431
ceilingc1450
valent1794
fall1852
1852 Morning Post 14 Aug. 8/3 The velvet pulpit fall.
1867 Guardian 13 Nov. 1219/3 Among those contributing [gifts] we may mention..brass desk and light for the pulpit, Mrs. Wright;..velvet fall for the desk, Miss Hawkey.
1874 J. H. Walsh Man. Domest. Econ. (new ed.) iii. ii. 208/2 Velvet-covered boards have..been introduced, the velvet fall or valence being generally faced with point lace.
1960 J. J. Rowlands Spindrift ii. 124 The fall of the lectern is a beautiful piece of soft moose-hide embroidered in beads [etc.].
1974 Northern Times (Golspie, Sutherland) 26 July 3/5 At the beginning of the communion service..the Rev. J. L. Goskirk dedicated a white crocheted pulpit fall.
2015 M. Roberts Church Linen, Vestm. & Textiles 27 The falls are in liturgical colours.
†37. In plural. Short pieces of straw which fall away during reaping or threshing. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1845 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 5 i. 268 The short and broken [straw]..goes away in what is technically termed ‘falls’ or pulls.
38. A meteorite which is found on the ground; (in later use) spec. one found after its descent has been observed (contrasted with find).Recorded earliest in iron fall n. at iron n.1 Compounds 2. Cf. also stone-fall n. at stone n. Compounds 2a.
ΚΠ
1846 Amer. Jrnl. Sci. 52 385 We find in the weight of the two iron-falls (Croatia, 1752, and Tennessee, 1835) as set off against that of all the stones.., a ratio approximating that of one (for irons) to twenty (for stones).
1919 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 5 37 (title) The percentage number of meteorite falls and finds considered with reference to their varying basicity.
1976 S. Judson et al. Physical Geol. xix. 454/2 The meteorites are then classed in two groups: falls (which were actually seen to fall) and finds (which were found with no direct evidence for their arrival).
1988 P. Cloud Oasis in Space x. 230/2 Australia's Murchison meteorite, a 1969 fall, is reported to contain potentially membrane-building lipid-like organic chemicals, as well as all five of the so-called nucleotide bases.
2008 Herald-Times (Bloomington, Indiana) 22 Jan. d6/3 A meteorite that is collected from an unknown meteor is called a ‘find’. A meteorite that is found after a reported meteor sighting is called a ‘fall’.
39. Originally and chiefly Australian and New Zealand. A plain strip of leather at the end of the plaited lash of a stock whip.
ΚΠ
1856 W. Roberts Diary 19 Sept. in J. H. Beattie Early Runholding in Otago (1947) 42 The whip was rawhide plaited sinnet,..tapering nearly to a point, to which was attached a narrow strip of rawhide, called ‘the fall’.
1863 Ovens & Murray Advertiser (Beechworth, Austral.) 24 Mar. [I] Have seen the Barnes take strips off the hide to make falls for stock whips.
a1921 G. H. Gibson in Penguin Bk. Austral. Ballads (1964) 206 He could..Chop his name with a green-hide fall on the flank of a flyin' steer.
1940 E. C. Studholme Te Waimate (1954) 151 The thong was fastened to the wooden handle by a leather loop or keeper. The fall was made from a tapered piece of greenhide.
1993 Western Horseman Apr. 143/2 (advt.) Supplied with redhide fall and a quality cracker.
VI. Autumn.
40.
a. The season between summer and winter; autumn.Used without article or with the.A shortening of earlier fall of the leaf: see Phrases 4.Although common in British English in the 16th century, by the end of the 17th century fall had been overtaken by autumn as the primary term for this season. In early North American use both terms were in use, but fall had become established as the more usual term by the early 19th century. It also long survived in use in other varieties and dialects, especially in fixed phrasal expressions such as fall of the year and (until the early 20th century) in collocation with spring. See also sense 21.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > period > year > season > [noun] > autumn
harvest902
harvest-tidec1175
harvest time1362
autumn?c1400
falling of the leaf?1504
fall1550
leaf fall1616
go-harvest1735
back-end1820
fall time1833
1550 J. Hooper Godly Confession sig. D Euen as man is ordeined to the order, chang, and alteracyon of tyme, as thorder of the yere appointeth, now to be subiect vnto summer, nowe vnto winter, now to the sprynge, and nowe to the falle.
1601 W. Cornwallis Ess. II. xxxv. sig. V4v Fishers hauing flies for the spring, the fall, and the winter.
1664 J. Evelyn Sylva (1679) 15 His..leaves..becoming yellow at the fall, do commonly clothe it all the winter.
1672 R. Perrot Let. 21 June in Docs. Assembly State of N.Y. (133rd Session, Doc. No. 170) (1910) XXXIV. 671 It will disherten the Rest of the gentelmen from Cuming vp at the falle.
1701 D. Irish Animadversio Astrologica 21 That [medicine] was only to be taken Spring and Fall; this may be taken at all Times and Seasons of the Year.
1752 J. Edwards Wks. (1834) I. p. cxcv/1 I thank you for your letter..which I received this fall.
1767 Quebec Gaz. 5 Jan. 3/1 A few barrels of pickeled cod fish, taken..last Fall.
1826 W. Scott Malachi Malagrowther i. 10 She has been bled and purged, spring and fall.
1828 J. F. Cooper Notions Amer. I. 117 The Americans commonly call the autumn the ‘fall’; from the falling of the leaf.
1851 T. Carlyle Life J. Sterling i. xi. 100 His first child..was born there..in the fall of that year 1831.
1862 J. R. Lowell Biglow Papers 2nd Ser. i. i. 8 Frosts have been unusually backward this fall.
1900 Irish Times 2 June 5/8 They have had the power, during the past fall and winter, carefully estimated by different engineers.
1907 Standard 21 Feb. 8/1 In the spring and fall there is a good deal of dampness and fog.
1970 Weekend Mag. (Toronto) 14 Feb. 13/2 Fall came, but no caribou.
1987 F. Graham New Geordie Dict. 19 Fall, in the, in the autumn.
2001 Irish Times 18 July 6 I doubt very much with the time available that it [sc. a referendum] can be held in the fall of the year.
2014 Atlantic Apr. 20/1 Our only child will be leaving for college in the fall.
b. figurative. Chiefly with reference to the period of a person's late maturity (cf. autumn n. 3).Not always clearly distinguishable from sense 21.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > decrease or reduction in quantity, amount, or degree > [noun] > declining or falling off
declinea1327
fadea1400
paira1400
declining1481
vading1570
fall1590
hield1599
languishment1617
decay1636
defalcation1649
decidence1655
fall-off1676
falling off1761
fallaway1879
downswing1922
the mind > goodness and badness > badness or evil > worse > [noun] > state or condition
ebbc1400
decayc1460
witheredness1535
decadencec1550
autumn1590
fall1590
dotage1606
twilight1609
pejority1615
decadency1632
atrophy1653
effeteness1862
wallow1934
1590 R. Greene Neuer too Late ii. 22 Seeing then the faultes of my youth hath forst the fall of mine age, and I am driuen in the winter of mine yeeres to abide the brunt of al stormes.
a1697 A. Horneck Several Serm. 5th St. Matthew (1698) I. xiv. 413 A Christians good Works and Virtues, are to Shine..both in the Spring of his Years, and in the Fall of his Age.
1783 J. Logan Runnamede ii. i. 28 What evil have I done, That, in the fall of life, thy heavy hand In wrath should crush me to the ground!
1859 Illustr. Times 29 Jan. 67/3 Here is a prospect for the poor old actor in the fall of life.
1950 El Paso (Texas) Herald-Post 3 Mar. 1/3 More things are happening to Edward Everett Horton in the fall of his life than he experienced in his springtime.
2013 Observer (La Grande, Oregon) (Nexis) 27 Mar. The 92-year-old is a reminder of what it takes to turn the fall of life into spring.

Phrases

P1. to give (a person) a fall: to cause to fall to the ground or stumble, to trip (someone) up; (later sometimes spec.) to throw (in wrestling). Also figurative. Cf. sense 2b(a). Now rare.
ΚΠ
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 15837 (MED) Þai spitte on him..& mony a falle þai him gaf.
J. Metham Amoryus & Cleopes (1916) l. 916 (MED) He redy schuld be For hys lady sake to iuste..and qwat he were myght yeue hym a falle, Schuld ryghtly hys coursere..possede.
1531 W. Tyndale Answere Mores Dialoge f. xixv Feare and dreade of rebuke..wrastell with the trust which he hath in his fathers goodnesse and as it were geue his faith a fall.
1581 G. Pettie tr. S. Guazzo Ciuile Conuersat. i. f. 38v [He] leadeth by the hand another, who setteth his foote before him to giue him a fall.
1636 tr. J. Desmarets de Saint-Sorlin Ariana ii. vii. 310 It was resolv'd that one of the Conspirators should cast himselfe at Nero's feet..and then embracing his knees, should give him a fall.
1692 H. Hody Let. to Friend 2 I plainly saw by their Passion, and their holding up dirty Hands, that I had given 'em a Fall.
1727 T. Woolston 2nd Disc. Miracles 8 An untamed Colt..may be apt to winch and kick, and may give me a Fall.
1779 Whole Proc. King's Comm. Peace (City of London & County of Middlesex) No. 7. iii. 462/2 What happened did he say? —That Lister gave him a fall or struck him, or something to that effect.
1822 Sporting Mag. Dec. 122/2 As to giving your honour a fall,—if he does I'll give you lave to call me the biggest rogue in all Ireland!
1870 Athenæum 17 Dec. 797/2 The young Northumbrian colliery-viewer, who was destined to..give him a fall in more than one memorable struggle.
1949 Country Life 22 July 248/2 His pony slipped on the rain-soaked ground in the final and gave him a fall.
P2.
a. to take a fall.
(a) To suffer a fall, fall over, trip up, stumble. Also figurative. Now somewhat colloquial (chiefly U.S. in later use).
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > falling > fall [verb (intransitive)] > fall down or from erect position > specifically of person or animal
to light lowc1225
wendc1300
to seek to the earth or groundc1330
tumblea1375
stretchc1400
to take a fall1413
to blush to the eartha1500
to come down1603
to go to grassa1640
to be floored1826
to take a spilla1845
to come (fall, get) a cropper1858
to hunt grass1872
to come (also have) a buster1874
to hit the deck1954
1413 T. Hoccleve Balade Henry V l. 30 in Minor Poems (1970) i. 40 Souffreth nat Crystes feith to take a fal! Vn-to his peple and youres, cheerly see, In conseruyng of your estat real!
?a1475 Lessons of Dirige (Douce) l. 274 in J. Kail 26 Polit. Poems (1904) 130 (MED) When I slyde, supporte thow me; And though somtyme I take a falle, Yet Parce michi, domine!
1561 T. Hoby tr. B. Castiglione Courtyer iv. sig. Oo.iii Otherwhile in renninge a man taketh a fall.
1606 N. Breton Miseries of Mauillia sig. Dd3 Shee had runne padling about out of my sight, and by chaunce..taken a fall.
a1741 E. Cairns Mem. (1762) iv. 47 When it [sc. the child] comes to more strength, she lets it walk alone, and take a fall, and rise again.
1835 U.S. Tel. (Washington, D.C.) 6 Jan. 119/6 If Congress shrink from the recommendation, this glorious Republic takes a fall.
1891 New Era (Greensburg, Indiana) 27 May Barney Byrum took a fall last week which laid him up for repairs several days.
1916 Happy Days (N.Y.) 25 Nov. 9/4 As he made this last exclamatory remark, he took a fall and flopped all over the deck.
1958 S. J. Perelman Most of S. J. Perelman 35 I took a rather nasty fall over a wastebasket.
2012 Post-Standard (Syracuse, N.Y.) 27 Nov. a6/1 I got the awful call, come to Crouse Hospital, your sister has taken a fall.
(b) U.S. slang. To be arrested or convicted of a crime. Cf. sense 7.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > general proceedings > arrest > [verb (intransitive)] > be arrested
fall1874
to take a fall1922
to have one's collar felt1950
1922 Daily Ardmoreite (Ardmore, Okla.) 30 Apr. 11/4 He is in the stir. He took a fall for a smooth worker.
1930 Sunday Times-Signal (Zanesville, Ohio) 12 Oct. ii. 13/4 That meant..a long ‘stretch in the Big House’ (sentence in the penitentiary) if one of them ‘took a fall’ (was apprehended).
1953 W. S. Burroughs Junkie iii. 34 Jack had taken a fall on a safe job and was in the Bronx County jail awaiting trial.
2004 N. Turner Project Chick viii. 67 He took a fall and went to jail four years ago.
(c) colloquial. To fall in love. Cf. to fall for —— 1b at fall v. Phrasal verbs 2. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > love > amorous love > be in love [verb (intransitive)] > fall in love
to fall (or yfall, also be taken, caught) in loveOE
to yfall (also be brought) into love's danceOE
assot1393
in by the week1534
to have got it badly1860
to take a fall1942
1942 L. V. Berrey & M. Van den Bark Amer. Thes. Slang §353/7 Fall in love…take a fall.
1962 D. Lessing Golden Notebk. iv. 474 Molly rang late—says that Jane Bond has ‘taken a fall over’ Mr Green.
2007 R. Holmes Hottentot Venus iv. 47 If he did take a fall for Saartjie, it was not an unusual pairing.
b. to take the fall: to incur or accept blame or punishment in place of another person; to take the blame for something.In earliest use: to accept punishment for a crime in place of the real perpetrator; cf. to take a fall at Phrases 2a.
ΚΠ
1927 C. F. Coe Me—Gangster iv. 77 I kept my mouth shut and took the fall for the whole gang.
1934 Moorhead (Minnesota) Daily News 7 Sept. 1/7 Gil hasn't written a single line of this anti-strike stuff... I assume full responsibility... I want no man to take the fall for me.
1981 Newsweek (Nexis) 9 Mar. 57 CBS was soundly whipped in the ratings by NBC. Some blamed CBS's inexperienced production team, but Walter took the fall.
2004 New Yorker 17 May 71/2 The U.N. is being set up to take the fall for what is bound to be an unstable, tumultuous period before elections.
P3. to catch a fall: to trip or stumble and fall to the ground. Also figurative and in figurative contexts. Now rare (chiefly U.S. regional (southern and south Midland) in later use).
ΚΠ
a1439 J. Lydgate Fall of Princes (Bodl. 263) i. l. 3416 Hand or bench or support off sum wall To holde hym vp, list he cachche a fall.
c1475 Advice to Lovers in J. O. Halliwell Select. Minor Poems J. Lydgate (1840) 29 (MED) Ful ofte a wife is a broken poste, And he that lenethe may lihtly cache a fal.
1539 R. Morison tr. Frontinus Strategemes & Policies Warre i. xii. sig. Dii Scipio.., in landynge, by chance slypte and cought a fall.
1601 A. Dent Plaine Mans Path-way to Heauen 425 His litle childe catcheth a fall, breaketh his shins, and hurteth his face.
a1677 T. Manton 190 Serm. on 119th Psalm (1681) cviii. 669 We must not..lie in the dirt when we have caught a fall.
1729 Daily Post 23 July The Great Duke caught a Fall the other Day as he was getting out of his Bed, his Foot slipping under him.
1791 P. Tait Grand Procession Musselburgh Fair 18 Downward from thence they rode but slow Lest some should catch a fall.
1840 Emancipator (N.Y.) 29 May 18/5 This venerable gentleman had the misfortune..of catching a fall as he was leaving the Representatives' chamber... He fell with great force.
1881 J. T. Trowbridge Home Idyl 85 Now don't let go till we come down, Or we shall catch a fall!
1912 Thousandsticks (Kentucky) 18 Jan. Editor Tye was not used to slick walks, thereby catching a severe fall.
1965 Brady (Texas) Standard 21 May 2/1 [He] had the misfortune to break two bones..when he was swinging and caught a fall when a chain broke.
P4. (the) fall of the leaf: the shedding of leaves by many plants in autumn; the time of year when this occurs; also figurative. Cf. earlier falling of the leaf n. at falling n.1 Phrases 1. Cf. sense 40a and also leaf fall n. at leaf n.1 Compounds 2.
ΚΠ
1537 Duchess of Norfolk Let. 24 Oct. (modernized text) in M. A. E. Wood Lett. Royal & Illustrious Ladies (1846) II. 363 I am sick at the fall of the leaf and at the spring of the year.
1545 R. Ascham Toxophilus i. f. 15 Spring tyme, Somer, faule of the leafe, and winter.
1613 G. Markham Eng. Husbandman: 1st Pt. ii. vii. 63 You shall also euery spring and fall of the leafe clense your fruit trees from mosse.
1672 J. Josselyn New-Englands Rarities 48 Bears are very fat in the fall of the leaf, at which time they are excellent venison.
1704 Dict. Rusticum Squirrel-hunting, the proper time to hunt this little Animal, is at the fall of the Leaf.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth VII. 278 They seldom, therefore, seek for hiding-places before the fall of the leaf.
1830 J. Baxter Libr. Agric. & Hort. Knowl. 488 The winter pruning should be performed..at the fall of the leaf.
1894 Indian Forester 20 76 The fall of the leaf is no more a symbol of death than are any of the wonderful and beautiful changes that take place in the order of nature.
1931 K. M. Smith Textbk. Agric. Entomol. ix. 143 Matheson recommends spraying the trees in March before the foliage has appeared, or in autumn after the fall of the leaf.
1976 Financial Times 20 Nov. 8 Rich are they in the symbolism of life and death, ripeness so soon followed by corruption, the flower by the fall of the leaf.
2006 GP 17 Nov. 20 ‘Ah, the fall of the leaf, when the grave yawns ever wider,’ my senior partner whispers sagely.
†P5. †at fall: at a low ebb, in a low state. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > adversity > [adverb] > from prosperous condition > in low condition
adownc1325
alowc1400
at falla1616
a1616 W. Shakespeare Timon of Athens (1623) ii. ii. 201 Now they are at fall, want Treature.
1658 F. Vaux Elegy Iohn Cleaveland (single sheet) In our blockish age Witt was at fall.
P6. to break one's fall: see break v. 28b.
P7. on (also upon) the fall: (of a commodity, its price, etc.) falling. Now rare.
ΚΠ
1746 Gen. London Evening Mercury 25 Nov. On Friday Wheat, &c. sold much the same as last Week, but Barley and Oats were upon the Fall.
1759 Gazetteer & London Daily Advertiser 13 Apr. The stocks, annuities, and other government securities, have been these two days past upon the fall in Exchange-alley.
1802 in Naval Docs. U.S. Wars with Barbary Powers (1940) II. 24 Wages are upon the fall, the Merchant Vessels now give only $15 pr Month.
1828 R. Badnall View Silk Trade 83 Throwsters..generally become buyers when the price of silk is on the fall.
1847 Let. in Seanchas Ardmhacha (2004) 20 148 Crops look well and..the promise is very healthy looking. Markets are on the fall.
1909 Examiner (Launceston, Tasmania) 13 Sept. 2/2 Eggs are on the fall, and realised from 8d to 9d per dozen.
1987 FT Energy Newslett. (Internat. Coal Rep.) (Nexis) 31 July 3 South African barge prices are on the fall again—‘quite dramatically’ according to one seller.
P8.
fall of wicket n. Cricket each point in a match at which a wicket is lost by the batting side; the dismissal of a batter viewed as an event within a team's innings; cf. sense 1b.
ΚΠ
1873 Sydney Morning Herald 27 Feb. 10/2 The state of the Game, at every fall of wicket and every 10 runs, will be also telegraphed.
1897 Hampshire Advertiser 1 Sept. 3/1 Every ten runs and every fall of wicket were recorded in the M.C.C. pavilion.
1987 Guardian 9 Dec. (Sports section) 32/7 Protective equipment, except helmets, should be allowed on or off the field only at a fall of wicket or end of a session.
2005 Herald Sun (Melbourne) (Nexis) 23 Nov. c14 The service will provide live television coverage, text alerts for each fall of wicket and all the latest news.
P9. Surfing. over the falls: into the water, typically as a result of falling off one's surfboard and being sucked over the breaking lip of a wave. Usually in to go over the falls. Also in extended use with reference to the sharp drop of a hang-glider or similar small aircraft on emerging from a thermal.
ΚΠ
1961 Life 1 Sept. 51/1 He stays in the shallow water where there is no danger of ‘going over the falls’ (being caught in a breaking wave).
1978 Walla Walla (Washington) Union-Bull. 10 Sept. 17/2 When a glider pulls out of a thermal, the rapid rise suddenly changes to a descent. ‘They call that “going over the falls”,’ Lafferty said.
1995 San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News 27 Apr. 9 e (caption) Jay Moriarty makes a drop into history at Mavericks, near Half Moon Bay, seconds before going over the falls.
2006 www.microlighters.co.za 25 Aug. (O.E.D. Archive 2017) Going over the falls—yes it literally feels like you are falling over a waterfall—when exiting a thermal is in my opinion the most dangerous part with a trike.
2011 Iowa Rev. 39 26 When I tried to pull out, its heavy white lip caught my board. Over the falls I went, backwards, to the bottom.

Compounds

C1. With adverbs, forming compound nouns corresponding to adverbial combinations of the verb (see fall v. Phrasal verbs 1).The more established compounds of this type (fall-away, fallout, etc.) are treated as main entries.
fall-in n. Military (now historical) a signal summoning troops to fall in (to fall in 9a(a) at fall v. Phrasal verbs 1).
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military organization > signals > [noun] > signal on instrument > specific signals
dian1591
alvarado1598
retreat1600
reveille1633
preparative1635
leveta1640
charge1650
gathering1653
reveil1668
chamade1684
assembly1728
rouse1789
roll-call1793
dinner call1799
taps1824
recall1825
fall-in1834
last post1845
lights out1864
post1864
assemble1883
1834 Peninsular War 15 At the expiration of the halt, the drum or bugle sounded the ‘fall in’.
1915 ‘I. Hay’ First Hundred Thousand vi. 42 Here the ‘fall-in’ sounded.
2006 J. E. A. Connell Where's Where in Dublin 14 William Oman was the bugler who sounded the ‘fall in’ for the ICA on Easter Monday, 24 April [1916].
fall-off n. †(a) Music (apparently) an imperfect cadence, a half close (obsolete rare); (b) a decline, a diminution, a reduction (cf. falling off n. 2); (c) Photography the decrease in intensity with which different areas of a scene are lit the further away they are from the light source, frequently used to create a particular visual effect.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > decrease or reduction in quantity, amount, or degree > [noun] > declining or falling off
declinea1327
fadea1400
paira1400
declining1481
vading1570
fall1590
hield1599
languishment1617
decay1636
defalcation1649
decidence1655
fall-off1676
falling off1761
fallaway1879
downswing1922
1676 T. Mace Musick's Monument ii. xliii. 226 To Insinuate, or make you believe you shall hear a full Close; but with a Fall-off into a Six.
1789 R. Potter Art of Crit. 41 After an effort of exalted stile..,—‘such as it is, it is known already’, is a fall off not very intelligible.
1872 Atlanta (Georgia) Daily Sun 4 Aug. Cotton has declined, with an increased business for export and consumption, and a fall off in sales for future delivery.
1880 G. M. Hopkins Let. 5 Sept. (1935) 109 I think the Lethe mythology of the last stanza is a fall-off and unrealises the whole.
1958 Newnes Compl. Amateur Photogr. x. 116 It [sc. bounce flash] produces soft, even lighting and reduces the effect of background fall-off.
1969 Listener 5 June 786/1 There is going to be a fall-off in orders.
2008 M. Galer Digital Photogr. (ed. 4) 109 Flash is a point light source used relatively close to the subject. The resulting light is very harsh and the effects of fall-off are often extreme.
2010 Independent 24 Aug. 26/4 Going over their accounts for the past two years to demonstrate the significance of the fall-off in business since the oil spill.
C2. Objective, with agent nouns and participles.
ΚΠ
1602 R. Carew Surv. Cornwall i. f. 76 The fall-giuer to be exempted from playing [i.e. wrestling] againe with the taker.
1880 Sci. Canad. Apr. 110/2 The work of the fall-maker and the part-maker were alike.
1933 Florence (Alabama) Times 24 June 4/6 Alex (‘Ripper’) Reeves..meets Kid Lott..with both using the aerial attack as their favourite fall-getter.
1960 Lowell (Mass.) Sun 20 Sept. 2/1 With campus cuties, sports fans and fall-loving stylists parading the very latest for dorm, play and street wear.
2013 Parthenon (Marshall Univ., W. Va.) (Nexis) 6 Oct. 1 The pumpkin festival enticed fall-loving guests' taste buds with vendors offering a range of pumpkin desserts.
C3. In sense 40a.
a. General attributive.
ΚΠ
1677 W. Hubbard Narr. Troubles with Indians New-Eng. ii. 14 Offering..to pay forty Beaver Skins at the next Fall-Voyage.
1753 S. Hopkins Hist. Mem. Housatunnuk Indians 44 The Governor laid this Matter before the General Assembly at their Fall Session.
1773 Abstr. Jrnl. Mission Delaware Indians in E. Wheelock Contin. Narr. Indian Charity-school (new ed.) 52 To tarry longer for him would bring us too far into the Fall Season to find the Indians at Home.
a1790 B. Franklin Autobiogr. (1981) iii. 159 The Orders..for Insurance..& for Fall Goods.
1821 W. Cobbett Rural Rides in Cobbett's Weekly Polit. Reg. 3 Nov. 1057 Whole families were frequently swept off by the fall-fever.
1825 New Eng. Farmer 22 July 411/3 The fall harvest of corn..promises to be equally plenteous with the summer.
1848 T. Chandler in Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 9 ii. 524 All the manure from the fall-feed is left where made.
1856 F. L. Olmsted Journey Slave States 663 The improvement had been effected entirely by draining and fall-plowing.
1868 Lowell (Mass.) Daily Citizen & News 20 Oct. A friend who has just returned from the Connecticut valley describes the fall foliage of the mountains and woodlands as exceedingly beautiful.
1898 Daily Republican (Seymour, Indiana) 8 Sept. 1/4 Sioux City..has invited President McKinley to attend the fall harvest festival in October.
1906 Daily Colonist (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) 17 Jan. 1/5 The condition of the fall wheat of Alberta today is declared to be A1.
1917 Los Angeles Times 29 Aug. ii. 3/3 The first of the fall fashions have arrived.
1926 Daily Colonist (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) 18 July 2/5 Officials have been working indefatigably in their efforts to this year promote the most successful Fall Fair that this community has ever experienced.
1928 M. de la Roche Whiteoaks (1929) ii. 27 He had a new fall overcoat of expensive English melton.
1997 A. Matthews Bright College Years (1998) 110 Only the sternest faculty schedule midterm exams on the Friday before fall break.
2011 J. Lourey October Fest i. 1 I'd have caught its scent on the breeze, a hint of rotten death weaving through the chill fall air.
b. Designating periods of time, parts of the day or night, etc., which are in the autumn, or which occur in the autumn, as fall evening, fall month, etc.
ΚΠ
1797 J. Morse Amer. Gazetteer at South-Carolina Would the sportsmen deny themselves, during the fall months, their favourite amusements of hunting and fishing?
1830 Amer. Monthly Mag. (Boston) Nov. 560 The streets, in the Fall mornings, were filled with people going to hear him with lanterns.
1834 S. Smith Sel. Lett. Major Jack Downing 158 It was pretty much like counting a flock of sheep in a fall day when they are jest let into a new stubble.
1836 Ladies' Compan. May 27/1 [She] ran shivering to the fire, which the cool fall evenings required.
1927 Travel Nov. 5/1 (advt.) There is a zip and a tang in the air these Fall days.
1957 Life 23 Sept. 137/2 It was a lovely cool fall afternoon.
1994 Madison (New Jersey) Eagle 8 Sept. 5/6 The fall months in the park were usually devoted to pickup football games.
c. With participles forming adjectives, with the sense ‘in the autumn, during the autumn’, as fall-blooming, fall-ripening, etc.
ΚΠ
1829 New Eng. Farmer 17 Apr. 307/2 Fall sown grass seeds are liable to be winter-killed.
1874 Prairie Farmer 5 Dec. 386/2 Won't somebody be kind enough to enlarge this list of fall blooming ornamental plants?
1931 Horticulture 15 Sept. 392/1 No list of Fall flowering perennials would be complete if the Korean chrysanthemum were omitted.
1989 V. Tanzer Seagulls hate Parsnips ii. xviii. 118 The dazzling white of fall-blooming clematis spills over the bushes and trees.
2012 J. S. Rosenthal & R. T. Fitzgerald in C. B. Bousman & B. J. Vierra From Pleistocene to Holocene iv. 82 Sites in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada and Diablo Range are dominated by fall-ripening nut crops.
C4.
fall block n. Nautical either of the two lower blocks of the falls (sense 29b) of a boat.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > tackle or purchase > [noun] > system of) pulley(s) > for raising or lowering ship's boat
fall block1834
1834 C. Martelli Naval Officer's Guide 77 Hook the fall blocks, reeve and bring the fall to the capstan.
1941 U.S. Patent 2,252,343 1/1 Boat lowering gear of the kind comprising one or more falls of ropes..which are looped through a fall block detachably connected..to a fitting in the boat.
2015 A. Khalique Basic Offshore Safety vii. 243 The hooks will be reset prior to the boat coming under the fall blocks.
fall-breaker n. something which breaks a person's fall (see break v. 28b); something which lessens the impact of a fall or reduces the speed of falling.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > safety > protection or defence > [noun] > means of protection or defence > device or contrivance to protect a thing or person > other protective devices
bonnet1815
footguard1821
fall-breaker1883
patch1890
guard-board1898
interlock1934
shark netting1970
1883 Official Gaz. (U.S. Patent Office) 14 Aug. 651/1 A canvas fall-breaker suspended on pulleys by weights and cords.
1927 Daily Express 31 Oct. 13/2 The competitors climb like cats to the top of a tall tower... They jump and dive eighty-five feet into fall-breakers.
1946 W. F. Burbidge From Balloon to Bomber iii. 35 Leonardo da Vinci..in his manuscript Codex Atlanticus..described a device, aptly called a ‘fall-breaker’, consisting of ‘a tent of chalked linen’ which would enable a man to ‘fall from any great height without danger to himself’.
2004 Farmers Weekly (Nexis) 10 Sept. 2 After a downwards slide, the potatoes encounter a padded fall-breaker positioned above each box.
Fall Classic n. Baseball (a nickname for) the World Series (World Series n. at world n. Compounds 8), so called because it is played during the autumn.A proprietary name in the United States.
ΚΠ
1912 Abilene (Texas) Daily Reporter 15 Sept. 6/4 Jeff Tesreau may prove the great sensation or the great disappointment of the big fall classic.
1930 Rotarian Oct. 20/1 The October..clash will be one of the most hotly contested events since the inauguration of baseball's fall classic back in 1903.
1999 M. McGuire & M. S. Gormley Moments in Sun Introd. 2 The game is spread over nine months from spring training to the Fall Classic.
2015 Daily News (N.Y.) (Nexis) 2 Nov. (Sports section) 52 The 2016 Mets could be back in the Fall Classic.
† fall cloud n. Meteorology Obsolete stratus cloud (see stratus n.).
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > weather > cloud > [noun] > a cloud > thin layer or sheet
fall cloud1816
sheet1897
layer cloud1951
1816 T. I. M. Forster in Gentleman's Mag. Feb. 132/1 Fall-cloud, or Stratus; being the falling, or subsidence of watery particles in the evening.
1823 T. I. M. Forster Res. Atmosph. Phænom. (ed. 3) i. 12 (heading) Of the Stratus or Fallcloud.
1905 A. W. Clayden Cloud Stud. v. 81 Stratus lenticularis, the Fall cloud.
1922 C. F. Talman Meteorology vi. 98 These superfluous English cloud names, ‘curl cloud’, ‘stackencloud’, ‘fall cloud’.., still survive in the dictionaries—and nowhere else.
fall equinox n. chiefly North American = autumnal equinox n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > period > cycle of time > cycle of the year > [noun] > equinox
evenlengtha1325
equinoctiumc1400
equinoctial?a1475
equinoction1483
vernal equinox (or equinoctial)1534
level1548
equinox1588
autumnal equinox1594
autumn equinox1594
equinoctian1627
fall equinox1844
1844 R. C. Shimeall Prophecy connected to 2,300 Days of Daniel VIII, 14 Pref. p. vi I would fain believe..of a speedy deliverance from this present evil world by the Second, Personal, Pre-Millennial Advent of Christ,..and of the universal conflagration of our globe, to take effect between the spring and fall Equinoxes of 1844.
1907 Garden Mag. July 352/1 Don't wait till the fall equinox before you begin to realize how nice it would be if you had built that greenhouse during the summer.
2016 Buffalo News (N.Y.) (Nexis) 5 Nov. 3 For some, SAD [= seasonal affective disorder] starts right after the fall equinox in September.
† fall fever n. U.S. Obsolete a fever occurring in autumn, spec. typhoid fever; cf. autumnal fever n. at autumnal adj. Compounds.Typhoid fever is now well controlled by sanitation and is no longer regarded as having a distinct seasonal predilection.
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1773 P. V. Fithian Jrnl. 1 Aug. in Jrnl. & Lett. (1965) 6 Many are now ill of what is called the Fall Fever.
1823 Maryland Gaz. & Polit. Intelligencer 29 May Some time since, when the Fall Fever ravaged violently in the neighbourhood of a canal then in a state of progress, numbers of the workmen engaged on it eat [sic] plentifully of Garlic, and wholly escaped.
1902 Lancet 5 Apr. 942/1 It is especially a disease of autumn and is known as the autumnal or fall fever in New England.
fallfish n. North American a freshwater cyprinid fish resembling a roach or chub; spec. Semotilus corporalis, found in streams and rivers of mainly eastern parts of the United States and Canada.
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the world > animals > fish > class Osteichthyes or Teleostomi > order Salmoniformes (salmon or trout) > superorder Ostariophysi or order Cypriniformes > [noun] > suborder Cyprinoidei > family Cyprinidae (minnows and carps) > cyprinus cephalus (chub)
chevinc1450
chub1496
chavender?a1500
pollard1585
botlinga1609
guff1655
sea-chub1668
poll1755
skelly1769
fallfisha1811
big-head1820
a1811 J. J. Henry Accurate Acct. Campaign against Quebec (1812) 32 A delicious chub which we call a fall-fish.
1911 Rep. Comm. U.S. Bureau Fisheries 1908 314 Roach (Semotilus corporalis)... Also called ‘fallfish’, ‘chub’, ‘dace’, etc.
2009 T. Rosenbauer Orvis Guide beginning Fly Fishing i. 21 You can also find panfish or large minnows like fallfish and creek chubs in streams close to home.
fall guy n. colloquial (originally U.S.) a person who ‘takes the fall’ for others, a scapegoat (cf. to take the fall at Phrases 2b); (also) a person who is easily tricked or taken advantage of, an easy victim, a dupe.
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the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disapproval > blame > [noun] > one who is blamed for actions of others
scapegoat1824
lightning rod1834
fall guy1895
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > cheating, fraud > duping, making a fool of > [noun] > gullible person, dupe
foola1382
woodcockc1430
geckc1530
cousinc1555
cokes1567
milch cow1582
gudgeon1584
coney1591
martin1591
gull1594
plover1599
rook1600
gull-finch1604
cheatee1615
goata1616
whirligig1624
chouse1649
coll1657
cully1664
bubble1668
lamb1668
Simple Simon?1673
mouth1680
dupe1681
cull1698
bub1699
game1699
muggins1705
colour1707
milk cow1727
flat1762
gulpin1802
slob1810
gaggee1819
sucker1838
hoaxee1840
softie1850
foozle1860
lemon1863
juggins1882
yob1886
patsy1889
yapc1894
fall guy1895
fruit1895
meemaw1895
easy mark1896
lobster1896
mark1896
wise guy1896
come-on1897
pushover1907
John1908
schnookle1908
Gretchen1913
jug1914
schnook1920
soft touch1924
prospect1931
steamer1932
punter1934
dill1941
Joe Soap1943
possum1945
Moreton Bay1953
easy touch1959
1895 Rocky Mountain News (Denver) 16 Dec. 8/5 William Farragarger, who played the part of the ‘fall guy’ in the poker game.
1902 Salt Lake Tribune 31 Aug. 10/7 Was he to be the fall guy all the time for all kinds of graft?
1946 ‘P. Quentin’ Puzzle for Fiends (1947) xxi. 149 Selena..would deliver me as a fall guy to the police without batting an eye.
1956 S. Bellow Seize the Day (1957) i. 34 Perhaps he was foolish and unlucky, a fall guy, a dupe, a sucker.
1963 Spectator 6 Sept. 295 Ward began to hear from friends that he was being cast for the part of fall guy (I know of no equivalent expression here) by Profumo's friends.
1999 Earth Matters Spring 14/2 Unless it is re-arranged on an altogether different basis, British agriculture faces crisis after crisis—and farmers will be the fall guys.
2016 Sun (Nexis) 7 Mar. (Sport section) 7 He has been made the fall guy for their troubles.
Fall Indian n. now historical a member of an Algonquian people inhabiting areas of Montana and formerly also Saskatchewan; = Gros Ventre n. 2Atsina n.
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the world > people > ethnicities > North American peoples > Plains Indian > [noun] > Algonquian
Piegan1772
Cheyenne1778
Fall Indian1779
Blackfoot1796
Minnetaree1805
Plains Cree1810
Siksika1843
blood1844
Prairie Cree1863
Gros Ventre1868
Wood Cree1885
Wood Cree1910
1779 in Cumberland House Jrnls. (1952) 2nd Ser. 75 At noon Two Tents of fall Indians arrived with a few furrs and some Provisions.
1790 E. Umfreville Present State Hudson's Bay 178 Those Indians from whom the Peltries are obtained are known to us by the following names, viz. The Ne-heth-aw-a Indians. The Assinne-poetuc Indians. The Fall Indians, [etc.].
a1822 J. Richardson Jrnl. in J. Franklin Narr. Journey Shores Polar Sea (1823) 108 The Pawäusticeythin-yoowuc, or Fall Indians, so named from their former residence on the falls of the Saskatchawan. They are the Minetarres.
1851 H. R. Schoolcraft Hist. & Statist. Information Indian Tribes U.S. I. viii. 437 This section is redivided into Satsika, Blood Indians, Piekans, and Atsinas, or Fall Indians, who, speaking one generic language, (the Atsina-Algonquin,) constitute the chief known local divisions of the people.
1952 B. DeVoto Course of Empire vi. 202 The Assiniboins were a Plains tribe..beyond them to the west were the Gros Ventres or Fall Indians and the Blackfeet.
1999 J. P. Reid Patterns of Vengeance vii. 113 The Gros Ventres of the Plains, whom the British fur traders sometimes called the Fall Indians, were so closely associated with the Blackfoot, Piegans, and Bloods, that they were often described as a fourth nation of the Blackfoot confederacy.
† fall-iron door n. Obsolete rare (perhaps) an iron door which also functions as a drawbridge.Alternatively, it is perhaps more likely that fall in quot. 1837 represents an error for tall.
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1837 C. V. Incledon Taunus 207 The castle of the Pfalz..was accessible only by a fall iron door, which answered the double purpose of door, and draw bridge.
fall money n. Criminals' slang money set aside by a criminal or gang of criminals for use in the event of being arrested (cf. sense 7a).
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > money > funds or pecuniary resources > [noun] > set apart for a purpose > for other purposes
alms purse1530
privy purse1565
sinking fund1717
stakea1744
pension fund1757
spare-chest1769
road fund1784
revolving fund1793
community chest1796
provident fund1817
sustentation fund1837
wages-fund1848
slush fund1874
treasury chest fund1877
fall money1883
jackpot1884
provision1895
war chest1901
juice1935
fighting fund1940
structural fund1967
appeal fund1976
1883 St. Louis (Missouri) Globe-Democrat 8 Feb. 3/6 $100,000 of the most available securities were set apart to be utilized in raising ‘fall money’—that is, money to help out any of the gang who might be arrested.
1929 ‘C. G. Gordon’ Crooks of Underworld 215 We had often discussed the matter of ‘fall money’.
1967 ‘Iceberg Slim’ Pimp viii. 218 I've got five ‘G's’ in fall money.
2016 D. Hopkinson Bandit's Tale xiv. 101 I might've been caught in the act, and I don't have a bit of fall money put aside.
fall notch n. Forestry a notch made on one side of the trunk of a tree which is to be felled, indicating the direction in which the tree is intended to fall; = undercut n. 2a.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > forestry or arboriculture > lumbering > [noun] > felling trees > cut in tree
kerfc1420
scarf1863
undercut1883
fall notch1893
1893 G. D. Leslie Lett. to Marco xxxviii. 253 By the proper placement of the fall-notch, the tree was eventually brought down due west.
2010 P. Eidenbach Alamogordo ii. 86 (caption) Before making the cut, the crew used double-bitted axes to cut a fall notch to help direct the tree's fall.
fall pippin n. a variety of apple grown mainly in the United States, having large, yellow-skinned fruits, ripening in mid-autumn; an apple or tree of this variety.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > fruit and vegetables > fruit or a fruit > apple > [noun] > eating-apple > types of
costardc1390
bitter-sweet1393
Queening?1435
richardine?1435
blaundrellc1440
pear apple1440
tuberc1440
quarrendenc1450
birtle1483
deusan1570
apple-john1572
Richard1572
lording1573
greening1577
queen apple1579
peeler1580
darling1584
doucin1584
golding1589
puffin1589
lady's longing1591
bitter-sweeting1597
pearmain1597
paradise apple1598
garden globe1600
gastlet1600
leather-coat1600
maligar1600
pome-paradise1601
French pippin1629
gillyflower1629
king apple1635
lady apple1651
golden pippin1654
goldling1655
puff1655
cardinal1658
green fillet1662
chestnut1664
cinnamon apple1664
fenouil1664
go-no-further1664
Westbury apple1664
seek-no-farther1670
nonsuch1676
calville1691
passe-pomme1691
fennel apple1699
queen1699
genet1706
fig-apple1707
oaken pin1707
nonpareil1726
costing1731
monstrous reinette1731
Newtown pippin1760
Ribston1782
Rhode Island greening1795
oslin1801
fall pippin1803
monstrous pippin1817
Newtown Spitzenburg1817
Gravenstein1821
Red Astrachan1822
Tolman sweet1822
grange apple1823
orange pippin1823
Baldwin1826
Sturmer Pippin1831
Newtowner1846
Northern Spy1847
Blenheim Orange1860
Cox1860
McIntosh Red1876
Worcester1877
raspberry apple1894
delicious1898
Laxton's Superb1920
Macoun1924
the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular food plant or plant product > particular types of fruit > [noun] > apple > eating-apple > types of
costardc1390
bitter-sweet1393
pippin?1435
pomewater?1435
Queening?1435
richardine?1435
blaundrellc1440
pear apple1440
tuberc1440
quarrendenc1450
birtle1483
sweeting1530
pomeroyal1534
renneta1568
deusan1570
apple-john1572
Richard1572
lording1573
russeting1573
greening1577
queen apple1579
peeler1580
reinette1582
darling1584
doucin1584
golding1589
puffin1589
lady's longing1591
bitter-sweeting1597
pearmain1597
paradise apple1598
garden globe1600
gastlet1600
leather-coat1600
maligar1600
pomeroy1600
short-start1600
jenneting1601
pome-paradise1601
russet coat1602
John apple1604
honey apple1611
honeymeal1611
musk apple1611
short-shank1611
spice apple1611
French pippin1629
king apple1635
lady apple1651
golden pippin1654
goldling1655
puff1655
cardinal1658
renneting1658
green fillet1662
chestnut1664
cinnamon apple1664
fenouil1664
go-no-further1664
reinetting1664
Westbury apple1664
seek-no-farther1670
nonsuch1676
white-wining1676
russet1686
calville1691
fennel apple1699
queen1699
genet1706
fig-apple1707
oaken pin1707
musk1708
nonpareil1726
costing1731
monstrous reinette1731
Newtown pippin1760
Ribston1782
Rhode Island greening1795
oslin1801
wine apple1802
fall pippin1803
monstrous pippin1817
Newtown Spitzenburg1817
Gravenstein1821
Red Astrachan1822
Tolman sweet1822
grange apple1823
orange pippin1823
Baldwin1826
wine-sap1826
Jonathan1831
Sturmer Pippin1831
rusty-coat1843
Newtowner1846
Northern Spy1847
Cornish gilliflowerc1850
Blenheim Orange1860
Cox1860
nutmeg pippin1860
McIntosh Red1876
Worcester1877
raspberry apple1894
delicious1898
Laxton's Superb1920
Melba apple1928
Melba1933
Mutsu1951
Newtown1953
discovery1964
1803 A. F. M. Willich & J. Mease Domest. Encycl. (Amer. ed.) III. 110/1 Autumn or Fall Pippin... Ripens in October. A large yellow apple, acid taste and pleasant flavour.
1914 Twenty-first Ann. Rep. Dept. Agric. (State N.Y.) ii. 554 The Baldwins and Greenings should begin to bear commercially at from eight to ten years of age; the Fall Pippins and Alexanders, a year or two earlier.
2010 C. L. Calhoun Old Southern Apples (ed. 2) v. 70/2 Fall Pippin is a very old variety predating 1800 and popular in the nineteenth century in most apple-growing areas of the United States.
fall-rise adj. and n. Phonetics (a) adj. (attributive) consisting of or characterized by a lowering and subsequent raising of pitch, generally within a single syllable; cf. falling-rising adj. at falling adj. Compounds 2; (b) n. an intonation pattern of this kind.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > linguistics > study of speech sound > speech sound > intonation, pitch, or stress > [noun] > accent > stress accent > specific
rhetorical accent1728
suppression1751
recession1855
thought accent1897
stress maximum1908
fall-rise1921
promotion1956
paroxytonization1973
1921 Bull. School Oriental Stud. 2 20 ∨m with mid fall-rise tone = yes it may be so but—.
1932 D. Jones Outl. Eng. Phonetics (ed. 3) xxxi. 282 If there are several syllables following the emphatic fall, the terminal rise is spread over these. But if there is only one unstressed syllable following, the terminal rise is compressed into it. If there is no following unstressed syllable, the terminal rise is compressed into the same syllable as the emphatic fall; the emphatic syllable is therefore said in this case with a fall-rise.
1962 S. Stubelius in F. Behre Contrib. Eng. Syntax 200 Rise-endings and fall-rise endings are by no means rare in statements.
1997 D. Brazil Communicative Value Intonation in Eng. i. 9 The tonic syllables in the first three tone units of our data sample exemplify in succession the tones that are described conveniently in quasi-phonetic terms as the ‘fall-rise’, the ‘rise’ and the ‘fall’.
2009 R. Dhoṅgaḍe & K. Wali Marathi ii. 33 The fall-rise intonation also is not very common in Marathi.
fall-rope n. [after Dutch valreep (1681)] chiefly Nautical †(a) a free-hanging rope with knots serving as a means of climbing up or down the side of a ship (obsolete); (b) the loose end of rope in a tackle; = sense 29a.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > lifting or hoisting equipment > [noun] > hoisting-rope
fall-rope1691
hoisting-line1692
hoist-rope1794
hoisting-rope1876
1691 W. Sewel New Dict. Eng. & Dutch ii. 358/2 De Valreep, Fall-rope.
1841 R. Willis Princ. Mechanism 200 The fall-block is usually fixed, because this allows the fall-rope to be drawn in any direction.
1891 R. Kipling Barrack-room Ballads (1892) 205 And the fall-rope whines through the sheave.
1933 Times Lit. Suppl. 18 May 350/3 Someone had..thrown the body overboard, but a fall-rope caught it by the neck.
1964 J. R. McCalmont Rope on Farm (U.S. Dept. Agric. Farmers' Bull. No. 2130) (rev. ed.) 9/2 The rope that is pulled when the tackle is being used is called the fall-rope.
2011 T. Anderson Rising Tides xviii. 239 She hooked the bottom block onto the eyebolt at the boat's bow, leaving the fall rope dangling.
fall time n. = autumn time n. at autumn n. Compounds 5.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > period > year > season > [noun] > autumn
harvest902
harvest-tidec1175
harvest time1362
autumn?c1400
falling of the leaf?1504
fall1550
leaf fall1616
go-harvest1735
back-end1820
fall time1833
1833 G. P. R. James Mary of Burgundy I. vii. 131 Sing to me still in the autumn's glory; In the golden fall-time, oh, be not mute!
1921 Darlington (Indiana) Herald 3 Nov. 5/2 (advt.) Every year at Fall time we have presented the Great Wonder Sale.., to supply your winter needs at splendid savings.
2012 J. Blair By Iowa Sea (2013) 255 The yellow leaves. The wet streets. The hunched and slouching houses dressed in pistachio, dull pink, and white... Fall time in New England lives up to the hype.
fall tube n. (a) a tube in a mercury air pump through which drops of mercury fall, driving air forward and thus creating a vacuum in the vessel at the top of the tube (now historical); †(b) the supply pipe of a water motor (obsolete).
ΚΠ
1865 H. Sprengel in Jrnl. Chem. Soc. 18 12 By means of the tube z y x, it is connected with the tube c d, which I call the ‘fall tube’.
1891 Electrician 2 Oct. 608/1 A part of the Falls of Tivoli is conducted along an aqueduct, at the extremity of which the water falls into a large iron fall-tube, 1.6 of a metre in diameter.
1894 Westm. Gaz. 1 May 7/2 The fall tube is about two metres in diameter.
1904 G. F. Goodchild & C. F. Tweney Technol. & Sci. Dict. 9/1 Mercury is poured into a large funnel (A), and flows through the tubes AB and BC into the ‘pump head’ D, from which it falls down the ‘fall tube’ DE, whose length is greater than the height of the barometer.
2005 Jrnl. Vacuum Sci. & Technol. A. 23 1253/2 Both the Geissler–Töpler pump and the Sprengel pump (with one fall tube) were extremely slow.
† fall-way n. U.S. Obsolete the opening or well in a building through which goods may be raised or lowered by a fall (sense 29c).
ΚΠ
1851 N.-Y. Daily Times 29 Nov. The building..was not much injured, a fall way on the top being the only portion which was on fire.
1859 J. R. Bartlett Dict. Americanisms (ed. 2) Fall-way, the opening or well through which goods are raised and lowered by a fall.
fall wind n. [after Dutch valwind (1652)] a strong wind (or gust of wind) caused by a body of downward-moving air; spec. a katabatic wind caused by a mass of cold air moving from the top of a mountain range, plateau, or glacier into a plain or coastal region (cf. bora n.1).
ΚΠ
1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Fall-wind, a sudden gust.
1922 M. Luckiesh Bk. of Sky xix. 203 The ice-caps of Greenland and of Antarctica produce strong and fairly continuous fall-winds.
1970 B. Tufty 1001 Questions answered about Storms (1987) 201 Fall winds are especially strong on the coast of Norway and along the Adriatic and Aegean Seas.
2013 C. D. Ahrens & R. Henson Meteorol. Today (ed. 11) ix. 254 (table) Athos: A strong northeasterly fall wind that descends from Mount Athos over the Aegean Sea.
fall zone n. = fall line n. 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > water > rivers and streams > system > [noun] > natural drainage > specific river profile > fall line
fall line1882
fall zone1911
1911 I. Bowman Forest Physiogr. xxix. 623 This border is marked by steepened stream descents and low falls and rapids. It is commonly designated the fall line, or fall zone.
1937 S. W. Wooldridge & R. S. Morgan Physical Basis Geogr. xv. 220 The Fall Line, or, more accurately, the Fall Zone of North America, where falls and rapids mark the descent of the streams from the ‘old-land’ to the coastal plain.
2012 D. J. Stanford & B. A. Bradley Across Atlantic Ice iv. 94 Cactus Hill is on the east bank of the Nottoway River in Sussex County, Virginia, some 13 miles east of the Fall Zone.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2017; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

fallv.

Brit. /fɔːl/, U.S. /fɔl/, /fɑl/
Inflections: Past tense fell /fɛl/; past participle fallen /fɔːl(ə)n/;
Forms: 1. Present stem. (a) Old English fallan (chiefly Anglian), Old English fællan (Mercian, in prefixed forms, rare; also late), Old English fealan (rare), Old English feallan, Old English fellan (rare), late Old English feællan (Kentish), early Middle English fallenn ( Ormulum), early Middle English fælle, early Middle English fealle, Middle English ffal, Middle English ffalle, Middle English ualle (southern and south midlands), Middle English valle (southern and south midlands), Middle English–1500s fale, Middle English–1500s ffall, Middle English–1600s fal, Middle English–1600s falle, Middle English– fall, late Middle English fulle (transmission error), 1500s faul, 1500s faule, 1500s faull, 1500s vall (south-western), 1500s–1600s fawle; English regional 1700s foe (Westmorland), 1700s–1800s faw (north-west midlands and northern), 1700s–1800s fo (northern), 1700s–1800s vall (south-western), 1800s fa' (northern), 1800s faa (northern), 1800s fau (north-west midlands), 1800s fo' (northern), 1800s foa (Lancashire), 1800s fole (Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire), 1800s vaal (south-western), 1800s– faal (Northumberland); Scottish pre-1700 fal, pre-1700 fale, pre-1700 fawe, pre-1700 foal (north-eastern), pre-1700 1700s– fa, pre-1700 1700s– fa', pre-1700 1700s– fall, pre-1700 1700s– faw, pre-1700 1900s– faa; Irish English 1700s–1800s vall (Wexford), 1800s vale (Wexford), 1800s vole (Wexford), 1800s– fa' (northern); (b) also 3rd singular indicative early Old English felð, early Old English fielð (in prefixed forms), Old English faelles (Northumbrian), Old English fælles (Northumbrian), Old English fealþ, Old English fealð, Old English filð, Old English flið (transmission error), Old English–early Middle English fylþ, Old English–early Middle English fylð, early Middle English faled, early Middle English falð, early Middle English feald (in prefixed forms), early Middle English fyld, Middle English ualþ (south-eastern), Middle English valþ (south-western). 2. Past tense. (i). Strong.

α. Old English feal (in prefixed forms), Old English feall (Anglian), Old English feole (singular subjunctive, rare), Old English fiol (in prefixed forms), Old English fioll, Old English–early Middle English feoll, Old English (Middle English west midlands and south-western) feol, Old English (rare) Middle English– fell, early Middle English uel (south-west midlands), Middle English feolle (west midlands and south-western), Middle English ffel, Middle English ffell, Middle English ffelle, Middle English vel (south-western), Middle English vell (south-western), Middle English–1500s felle, Middle English–1600s fel, Middle English–1600s feel, late Middle English feele, 1500s fele; English regional 1800s fel, 1800s vell (Devon); Scottish pre-1700 feill, pre-1700 fel, pre-1700 1700s– fell, 1800s faell; Irish English (Wexford) 1700s–1800s vell; N.E.D. (1894) also records a form Middle English fele.

β. Old English fillon (plural, perhaps transmission error), late Old English fyllon (plural), Middle English fille, Middle English fylle, Middle English vil (south-eastern), Middle English–1500s fill, Middle English–1500s fyl, Middle English–1500s fyll, Middle English (1800s English regional (Yorkshire)) fil.

γ. Chiefly west midlands and south-western Middle English feulle, Middle English foelle, Middle English fol, Middle English foll, Middle English folle, Middle English fuel, Middle English ful, Middle English fulle, Middle English uol, Middle English uoll, Middle English veol, Middle English vul.

δ. U.S. regional 1900s– fall.

(ii). Weak.

α. Middle English fald, Middle English falde, Middle English–1500s falled, 1500s vald (south-western); English regional 1800s faad (Northumbrian), 1800s faud (Cheshire), 1800s fawd (Cheshire), 1800s vaald (Somerset), 1800s valled (Somerset); U.S. regional 1800s– falled.

β. Middle English feelde, Middle English felde, 1600s (1900s– U.S. regional) felled.

3. Past participle. (i). Strong.

α. Old English fallen (in prefixed forms (not ge-)), Old English fealen (in prefixed forms (not ge-)), Old English gefeallan (rare), Old English gefeallen, Middle English fallin, Middle English fallun, Middle English fawllyn, Middle English ffallen, Middle English ifallen, Middle English ivallen, Middle English yfallen, Middle English–1500s fallyn, Middle English–1600s falne, Middle English–1700s faln, Middle English– fallen, 1500s fallon, 1500s faulen, 1500s faulne, 1500s yfalne, 1600s falen, 1600s fallne; English regional 1700s–1800s fawn (northern and north midlands), 1800s fa'en (Yorkshire), 1800s fa'n (Yorkshire), 1800s faan (northern), 1800s faun (Yorkshire and midlands), 1800s fo'n (Lancashire), 1800s foan (Cumberland), 1800s foean (Westmorland), 1800s foen (Cumberland), 1800s fone (Lancashire), 1800s fown (Lancashire); Scottish pre-1700 fallin, pre-1700 falline, pre-1700 fallyn, pre-1700 fallyne, pre-1700 falyn, pre-1700 1700s fawin, pre-1700 1700s– fallen, pre-1700 1900s fain, 1700s falen, 1700s– fa'en, 1700s– fawn, 1800s fa'an, 1800s fa'n, 1800s fa'un, 1800s faa'n, 1800s faun', 1800s–1900s faen, 1800s–1900s faun, 1800s– faan, 1900s– faaen; Irish English (northern) 1900s– faun; N.E.D. (1894) also records a form Middle English faleyn.

β. Middle English efalle (north-west midlands), Middle English fal, Middle English falle, Middle English ffalle, Middle English ifalle, Middle English iualle (southern), Middle English yfall, Middle English yfalle, Middle English yffalle, Middle English yualle (south-eastern), Middle English yvalle (south-eastern), Middle English–1600s fall; Scottish pre-1700 fal, pre-1700 fall.

γ. late Middle English yfole (Wiltshire), 1500s foule.

δ. 1500s–1600s (1700s– North American and U.S. regional) fell.

ε. English regional (Cheshire) 1800s fellen; U.S. regional 1900s– fellen.

(ii). Weak.

α. Middle English fallid, Middle English fallyd, late Middle English falleth (probably transmission error), Middle English–1600s (1800s nonstandard) falled; English regional 1800s avalled (Somerset), 1800s fall'd, 1800s faud (Cheshire), 1800s fawd (Cheshire); U.S. regional 1800s falled.

β. Welsh English 1800s felled'n (Pembrokeshire).

Origin: A word inherited from Germanic.
Etymology: Cognate with Old Frisian falla, fāla (West Frisian falle), Old Dutch fallan (Middle Dutch, Dutch vallen), Old Saxon fallan (Middle Low German vallen), Old High German fallan (Middle High German vallen, German fallen), Old Icelandic falla, Old Swedish, Swedish falla, Danish falde, further etymology uncertain. Further etymology. The Germanic base is probably cognate with Old Prussian aūpallai ‘he finds’, Lithuanian pulti to fall, to attack, and perhaps also (if showing a similar formation with a preverb: compare ponent n., ab- prefix, and of prep.) with ancient Greek ἀπόλλυναι to kill, to destroy, to lose, classical Latin abolēre to destroy, to banish, to abolish (compare abolish v.). A suggestion that the Germanic and Baltic forms are cognate with Armenian p'lanim ‘to fall’ poses considerable phonological problems. Form history and relationship with fell v. In Old English a strong verb of Class VII. The stem vowel of the past tense is usually ēo , although ē is very occasionally attested. In Old English the verb shows regular i-mutation in the 2nd and 3rd singular present indicative. In other forms of the present stem the attested spellings are usually clearly distinct from weak Class I verb fiellan fell v.; occasional forms such as fellan , fællan are mostly late and may reflect scribal uncertainty about standard West Saxon spelling. Transitive senses first appear in late Middle English (compare senses 1b, 1c, 29). Their development is unlikely to have been linked to the partial formal merger of this word with fell v. (historically a causative derivative of this word) in west midland varieties (chiefly evidenced in early Middle English: see discussion at fell v.). Similarly, the appearance of weak past participle forms in later Middle English (see Forms 3(ii)α. ) is probably an independent development, paralleled by a similar variation between the strong and weak forms of the past participle in many historically strong verbs (compare also discussion at fell v.). However, the partial formal merger of this word with fell v. in west midland varieties probably contributed to the appearance of the past tense forms of the fald type in Middle English (see Forms 2(ii)α. ), attested in intransitive senses of fall v. chiefly in west midland texts of the late 14th cent. Past tense forms of the felled type (see Forms 2(ii)β. ) apparently show double marking of the past tense, with the weak past tense suffix attached to the strong past tense stem. Past tense forms of the fol , ful type (see Forms 2(i)γ. ) represent the regular west midland and south-western development of Old English ēo into a mid front rounded vowel in Middle English. This form of the stem is apparently extended to the past participle in Forms 3(i)γ. , in an isolated attestation in Middle English. (The early modern English past participle form foule, which occurs only in the phrase to be foule out with in one 16th-cent. source (see quot. 1542 for to fall out 2b at Phrasal verbs 1), is difficult to explain.) Past tense forms of the fil type (see Forms 2(i)β. ) show a sporadic phonological change of e to i in closed syllables in Middle English. Isolated similar Old English spellings of the past tense plural are probably of different origin; with late Old English fyllon perhaps compare the later γ. forms. Prefixed forms in Old English. In Old English the prefixed form gefeallan yfall v. is also attested. Compare also afeallan afall v., ætfeallan atfall v., befeallan befall v., forefeallan , an element-by-element gloss of Latin procidere to fall prostrate (compare fore- prefix), forfeallan to overwhelm, engulf (compare for- prefix1), forþfeallan , an element-by-element gloss of Latin procidere to fall prostrate (compare forth adv.), infeallan , an element-by-element gloss of Latin incidere to fall in (compare in- prefix1), niþerfeallan to fall prostrate (compare nether adv.1), offeallan of-fall v., oferfeallan overfall v., oþfeallan to fall off, decay, fall away, fail, samodfeallan , an element-by-element gloss of Latin concidere to fall down, collapse (compare samed adv.), tōfeallan to-fall v. Although less frequent, the prefixed verb gefeallan yfall v. is attested earlier than the unprefixed verb in senses 17b, 17d, and 47 (it is also attested earlier in transitive use, although it is chiefly intransitive); ætfeallan atfall v. is attested earlier in sense 21; befeallan befall v. is attested earlier in sense 40. It is unclear whether Old English and Middle English prefixed past participle forms (e.g. gefeallen , ifallen ) represent the prefixed or the unprefixed verb, i.e. fall v. or yfall v., as formally they may belong to either. Due to the comparative rarity of the prefixed verb, especially in Middle English, instances and forms of the prefixed past participle have been included at this entry. Specific senses. In the transitive sense 1d apparently < fall n.2 In some senses after classical Latin and post-classical Latin cadere to fall (see cadence n.): compare senses 7a, 17d (compare also classical Latin occidere in the same sense: see Occident n.), 12, 13, 14 (compare also classical Latin labī to slip, to fall: see labent adj.), 32, 20, 37a, 41a, 43, and perhaps also 23, 51, 52, 53. Compare also classical Latin concidere (see concidence n.) and dēcidere (see decide v.2), in a similar range of senses. In sense 40a after classical Latin incidere to happen on a person or thing (see incident adj.1). In early use in sense 1c probably after Middle French fondre larmes (a1463; < fondre to melt, also to destroy, to fall, collapse (see found v.3); compare earlier fondre en larmes to shed tears (c1341)), perhaps partly by confusion with Middle French fondrer to sink, to collapse (see founder v.). Compare founder v. 9 and also classical Latin lacrimās fundere to shed tears (compare found v.3). In biblical uses in sense 26b (with reference to the suicides of Saul and his servant: 1 Samuel 31) and sense 21 (with reference to the story of Cain and Abel: Genesis 4) ultimately after specific uses of Hebrew nāpāl to fall, to lie.
I. To drop from a height.
* Concrete and related senses.
1.
a. intransitive. To move more or less freely from a high or relatively high position to a lower one, esp. by the action of the force of gravity; to drop. Frequently with adverb or prepositional phrase expressing direction.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > falling > fall [verb (intransitive)]
reoseeOE
falleOE
dreseOE
afallOE
yfallOE
toumbe1297
ruelc1400
chop1579
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > falling > fall [verb (intransitive)] > into something
falleOE
eOE Metres of Boethius (partly from transcript of damaged MS) (2009) v. 15 Swa oft æspringe..irneð wið his eardes, oð him oninnan felð muntes mægenstan, and him on middan geligeð.
OE Crist III 1525 Sceolon raþe feallan on grimne grund þa ær wiþ gode wunnon.
a1200 (?OE) MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 155 Sum of þe sed ful uppe þe ston.
a1225 MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 61 Þe angles of heouene uolle for heore prude in to helle.
a1350 in G. L. Brook Harley Lyrics (1968) 69 For doute leste he valle he shoddreþ ant shereþ.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Matt. xxi. 44 Vpon whom it [sc. this stoon] shal falle, it shal togidre poune hym.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 24538 Þe tere fell o min ei.
a1450 Generides (Pierpont Morgan) (1865) l. 2866 Malachias was fal of the toure.
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 509 Þis egg, or þe kyng wyst, to þe erth fallis.
1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. KKKv [The ball] mysseth the hande & falleth to the grounde.
a1616 W. Shakespeare All's Well that ends Well (1623) iv. iii. 196 His braines are forfeite to the next tile that fals . View more context for this quotation
1694 W. Burnaby tr. Petronius Satyr (new ed.) 58 A Dish fell on the Floor.
1712 G. Berkeley Passive Obed. §27. 36 Suppose a Prince..to Fall down a Precipice.
1751 E. Haywood Hist. Betsy Thoughtless IV. xxi. 263 He saw her lovely hand frequently put up to wipe away the tears that fell from her eyes.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth I. 222 The water falls three hundred feet perpendicular.
1818 P. B. Shelley Let. 9 Nov. (1964) II. 53 A plant more excellent..[than] that from which they [sc. seeds] fell.
1867 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 2nd Ser. 3 ii. 595 A fence round the mouth of the drum, to prevent any person from falling in.
1926 Bridgeport (Connecticut) Telegram 7 Sept. 14/4 He..fell nearly 500 feet..before opening his parachute.
1986 Daily Tel. (Austral.) (Nexis) 16 Apr. He could hear bombs falling.
2012 S. Townsend Woman who went to Bed for Year xxxiii. 204 Brian's hand-held computer had fallen into the turkey gravy.
†b. transitive. To drop from or into (something). Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > falling > fall down (something) [verb (transitive)]
fall?c1450
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > falling > fall down (something) [verb (transitive)] > fall from
to fall out of ——c1300
fall?c1450
?c1450 Life St. Cuthbert (1891) l. 5993 How a ȝonge man felle a tre.
1665 T. Herbert Some Years Trav. (new ed.) 201 If we miss One step, we headlong fall the precipice.
c. transitive. To cause or allow (something) to drop. Now chiefly regional.In early use: spec. †to shed (tears) (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > causing to come or go down > cause to come or go down [verb (transitive)] > let fall or drop
shed?c1225
dropc1315
fallc1475
the mind > emotion > suffering > sorrow or grief > lamentation or expression of grief > weeping > weep for [verb (transitive)] > shed (tears)
weepc900
shedc1175
greetc1300
fallc1475
raina1560
blubber1583
vent1632
to let fall1816
to turn on the main1836
c1475 (?c1451) Bk. Noblesse (Royal) (1860) 66 (MED) It wolde make an harde hert man to falle the teris of his yen.
1598 R. Grenewey tr. Tacitus Annales i. xii. 23 Arminius wife..not once falling a teare [L. victa in lacrimas], nor crauing fauor.
1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. ii. ii. 415 A sparke, that Shepheards (vnespied) Haue falne by chance..Among dry leaues.
a1628 F. Greville Cælica xxxvi, in Certaine Wks. (1633) 184 He had falne his Fathers Canne, All of Gold in the deepe.
1638 T. Nabbes Covent Garden i. v. 12 You have fall'n my glove.
1794 J. Holt Gen. View Agric. Lancaster 117 Marle is got by falling it in large clods.
1811 J. Farey Gen. View Agric. Derbyshire I. 345 Hammer-men, or Drivers..fall the Coal.
1884 R. Holland Gloss. Words County of Chester (1886) (at cited word) Now, mind you don't faw it.
1934 W. W. Gill Manx Dial. 49 Don't fall the jug.
1974 Jrnl. Lancs. Dial. Soc. 24 20 Be careful, you'll fall it.
2008 R. Lewis Wenglish 106 I fell my bus ticket on the pavement.
†d. transitive. Of a horse: to unseat, throw (its rider). Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > transport > riding on horse (or other animal) > ride (a horse or other animal) [verb (transitive)] > keep one's seat on (a horse) > unseat, throw (the rider)
casta1300
unhorse1390
throwa1425
unsaddlea1470
unseat1596
dismounta1616
fall1688
to funk (a person) off1821
unship1831
dishorse1859
to buck off1881
shift1891
1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory ii. vii. 149/2 Cast the Rider, when by a stumble he falls the Rider.
1835 W. Colton Ship & Shore xi. 135 The servant boy..told how the animal had falled him three times.
2.
a. intransitive. Of rain, snow, lightning, etc.: to come down from the sky. Also of fog or mist: to settle, descend.In quot. a1640 in figurative context.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > weather > precipitation or atmospheric moisture > [verb (intransitive)]
fallOE
shedc1386
to ding onc1650
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > falling > fall [verb (intransitive)] > drop or fall vertically > (as) from the sky
fallOE
OE Old Eng. Hexateuch: Exod. (Claud.) ix. 19 Menn & nytenu sweltað.., & se hagol hym onufan fealð.
OE Paris Psalter (1932) lxxi. 6 Swa se stranga ren fealleð on flys her, and swa fæger dropa þe on þas eorðan upon dreopað.
c1330 (?a1300) Sir Tristrem (1886) l. 1936 Of snowe was fallen aschour.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Deeds xiii. 11 A noon a myst fel down on hym.
c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Huntington HM 137) (1873) C. iv. l. 102 Þenne falleþ þer fur on false menne houses.
?a1425 (c1400) Mandeville's Trav. (Titus C.xvi) (1919) 101 The dew of heuene..falleth vpon the herbes.
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 352 Than fell there a thundir and a rayne.
1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. cvi. 128 Ye stones..semed lyke thondre falled fro heuyn.
1630 H. Lord Display Two Forraigne Sects 44 Fire..occasioned by lightning falling on some tree.
1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. iii. 99 There fell downe a deadly storme.
a1640 J. Fletcher et al. Beggers Bush iii. v, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Ll4/2 Can mens prayers Shot up to heaven..Fall back like lazy mists.
1700 S. L. tr. C. Schweitzer Relation Voy. in tr. C. Frick & C. Schweitzer Relation Two Voy. E.-Indies 299 A very hard Storm fell upon us in the way.
1732 Comedian July 14 On Monday-morning, about one o'Clock, a heavy Shower fell.
1842 Ld. Tennyson Morte d'Arthur in Poems (new ed.) II. 16 Where falls not hail, or rain, or any snow.
1856 E. B. Browning Aurora Leigh iii. 92 The thunder fell..and killed a wife.
1866 Catal. of Meteorites (Geol. Survey of India) 8 Two classes of meteorites or solid bodies which have been known to fall to the earth's surface.
1915 Protection of Life & Prop. against Lightning (U.S. Dept. of Commerce) 104 When a stroke of lightning falls upon an unprotected house [etc.].
1989 O. V. Vijayan After the Hanging 16 It would be well past sundown..and the mist would be falling thick over the hill.
2014 I. McEwan Children Act ii. 41 Rain had fallen most days of the summer.
b. intransitive. Of the heavens or firmament: to collapse and drop to the earth. (In hypothetical or imaginary contexts, often envisaging the end of the world or impending disaster.) Frequently in proverbial expressions: see also though the heavens fall at heaven n. Phrases 6, the sky is falling at sky n.1 Phrases 2, if the sky falls, we shall catch larks at lark n.1 Phrases 1.
ΚΠ
OE Ælfric Homily: De Falsis Diis (Corpus Cambr. 178) in J. C. Pope Homilies of Ælfric (1968) II. 706 Ne seo heofon ne feoll [L. caelum ruit], ne seo eorðe ne tobærst.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 13876 Heo to-somne heolde swulc heouene wolde ualle.
c1475 (c1450) P. Idley Instr. to his Son (Cambr.) (1935) ii. B. l. 1181 (MED) We shall kacche many larkis whan heuene doith falle.
1585 T. Washington tr. N. de Nicolay Nauigations Turkie ii. xi. f. 46 The raine ouertooke vs with such an impetuosity and violence, that it semed that the skies would fall.
1608 Bp. J. Hall Epist. II. iv. iv. 153 What if heauen fall, say you?
1699 T. Brown tr. in Coll. Misc. Poems, Lett. 105 And did not Reason guide,..Earth wou'd not keep its place, the Skies would fall, And universal Stiffness deaden All.
1834 St. James's Chron. 22 Nov. We can assure them that in our part of the country the sky has not fallen.
1891 Law Times 90 441/2 The Spectator..seemed to think the heavens must fall because the Press questioned the capacity of a judge.
1917 A. E. Housman in Times 31 Oct. 7/2 These, in the day when heaven was falling, The hour when earth's foundations fled.
1948 H. Arendt in Partisan Rev. July 751 Men can realize hellish fantasies without making the sky fall or the earth open.
2004 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 10 Sept. b3/3 If a Pigmy thumb-pianist is to be equated with Beethoven, civilization has ended and the sky has fallen.
3.
a. intransitive. Of leaves, hair, feathers, teeth, etc.: to become detached and drop off.Also (and, except when used of leaves, now usually) with prepositional phrase or adverb as complement. See also to fall away 1 at Phrasal verbs 1, to fall off 1 at Phrasal verbs 1, to fall out 1 at Phrasal verbs 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separation or detachment > become detached [verb (intransitive)] > fall off or out
to fall offeOE
fallOE
to fall awayc1300
to fall forth1560
absciss1918
OE tr. Pseudo-Apuleius Herbarium (Vitell.) (1984) xxi. 68 Wið þæt mannes fex fealle genim þære wyrte seaw þe man nasturcium & oðrum naman cærse nemneð.
a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 177 (MED) Toȝanes wintre..þenne alle leues fallen.
?a1200 (?OE) Peri Didaxeon (1896) 21 Þane hy [sc. þa teþ] hero wurtruma forleataþ, þanne sweratiȝed hy and fealled [L. cadunt].
a1300 (c1275) Physiologus (1991) l. 46 Hise feðres fallen for ðe hete.
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 6393 He let him mid hors to drawe fram strete to strete Þat þe peces folle [c1425 Harl. ffelle] of is ffless aboute moni & grete.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 3569 Þe heued biginnes for to scak,..þe freli fax to fal of him.
c1475 Proverbs (Rawl. D.328) in Mod. Philol. (1940) 38 125 (MED) Þer þe hors whallyt, þer sum herris fallyt.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 544/1 Se howe his heares fall.
1611 Bible (King James) Lev. xiii. 40 The man whose haire is fallen off his head. View more context for this quotation
1657 J. Rowland tr. J. Johnstone Hist. Wonderful Things of Nature vi. ii. 169 By this warmth the pores are opened, the old feathers fall, and new grow up.
1714 A. Stringer Experienc'd Huntsman 262 The Deer's horns fall in Spring when the Sap ascends and the fresh Blood circulates.
1761 J. Mordant Compl. Steward I. 3 Gather the keys from a thriving tree about the end of October, when they begin to fall.
1852 W. M. Thackeray Henry Esmond I. ix. 185 Her hair fell, and her face looked older.
1854 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 15 ii. 353 The foetal incisors and tushes..rarely fall before this period, notwithstanding they be worn to the gums.
1908 T.P.'s Weekly 2 Oct. 460/1 (advt.) My doctor said he knew of nothing that would stop the hair falling or make it grow again.
1989 P. Schmidt tr. V. Khlebnikov Coll. Wks. II. 96 The way long black feathers fall from a crow's wing in his moulting season.
2016 Guardian 1 Jan. 38/2 A month ago we had a frost, and it looked as if the hazel leaves were about to fall.
†b. transitive. To shed (leaves, etc.); to cause (leaves, etc.) to be shed. Also intransitive with object implied. Obsolete (archaic in later use).In quot. 1902 as part of an extended metaphor.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > by growth or development > grow, sprout, or bear fruit [verb (transitive)] > shed leaves, flowers, or fruit
to shake offa1425
fall1510
shed1598
1510 J. Stanbridge Vocabula (new ed.) sig. D.ij Defrondesco, to fall the lefe.
1566 I. A. tr. Pliny Summarie Antiq. sig. H.viiv The Mulberrye tree bringeth hir fruite late, and falleth hir leaues wyth the first.
1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry iv. f. 165v His [sc. a peacock's] tayle falling euery yeere.
1611 J. Speed Hist. Great Brit. ix. xvii. 682/2 The White Rose thus bloomed, and the red falling his leafe.
1664 J. Evelyn Sylva vi. 24 [Ash-trees] for displaying themselves so very late, and falling very early, [are] not to be planted for umbrage.
1665–76 J. Rea Flora 20 Shrubs which fall their leaves in the winter.
1902 B. B. McAvoy Prince Richard iii. ii. 49 Then came the autumn frost of testiness, Falling his leaves of glory.
c. intransitive. Of an item of clothing, etc.: to slip off. Frequently with from. Also in figurative contexts.
ΚΠ
1535 Bible (Coverdale) (2 Kings) ii. C He..toke vp Elias cloke that was fallen from him.
1579 T. North tr. Plutarch Liues 725 Alexander speaking gently to the horse,..softly let fall his cloke from him, and lightly leaping on his backe, got vp without any daunger.
1621 G. Sandys tr. Ovid First Five Bks. Metamorphosis iv. 91 Flying, her mantle from her shoulders fell.
1672 Coll. Poems Several Persons 64 To ease my passion, and to make me blest, Th'obliging smock falls from her whiter breast.
1735 S. Johnson tr. J. Lobo Voy. Abyssinia 318 He let his Robe fall, presented his Head, and..besought the Almighty.
1797 M. Robinson Walsingham IV. lxxxiii. 178 The veil fell from her face, and my eyes instantly recognized the amiable..Julie de Beaumont.
1803 Pic Nic No. 1. 3 The mask of universal philanthropy has fallen.
1850 C. Dickens & C. Dickens Jr. Child's Dream of Star in Househ. Words 6 Apr. 26/1 My age is falling from me like a garment.
1949 Harper's Mag. Oct. 59/2 The coat fell from Ravita's shoulders.
1989 M. C. Smith Polar Star iii. xxviii. 334 His jacket and clothes fell, sloughed off like an old skin.
2014 National Post (Canada) (Nexis) 11 Jan. wp4 Ottawa blushed a little, let her coat fall, and then started to move down the hallway.
4. intransitive. Esp. of hair, an item of clothing, or a drape of fabric: to hang down, extend downwards.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > support > hanging or suspension > hang or be suspended [verb (intransitive)] > hang down
falleOE
depend?1518
fag1555
pend1834
the world > space > direction > specific directions > have specific directions [verb (intransitive)] > have downward direction > extend downwards
falleOE
descendc1400
to grow down?1523
dip1854
slope1877
eOE King Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care (Hatton) (1871) xviii. 141 Sua sindon ða loccas to sparienne ðæm sacerde ðæt hi ða hyde behelien, & ðeah ðæt he hie forceorfe ær, ær hie on ða eagan feallen.
OE Lambeth Psalter cxxxii. 2 Barbam Aaron quod descendit in oram uestimenti eius : bearde Aarones þæt ðe niðer feol on læppan hrægles his.
1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry iii. f. 115 His mane..fauling on the right side.
1665 T. Herbert Some Years Trav. (new ed.) 365 A party-coloured Mantle which falls no deeper than the knees.
1696 tr. J. Dumont New Voy. Levant 176 A large piece of Felt..which falls back on their Shoulders.
1745 P. Thomas True Jrnl. Voy. South-Seas 337 From the Ridge of his [sc. a Zebra's] Back down to his Belly, fall several streaks of various Colours.
1777 G. Forster Voy. round World I. 17 Their black hair naturally falls in ringlets.
1819 G. Crabbe Tales of Hall I. vii. 153 The curtains fell Half down, and rested on the window-sill.
1842 E. J. Morris Notes Tour through Turkey I. iii. 66 Loose, large trousers, falling to the ankle, and vests of velvet.
1908 N.Y. Times 10 Dec. 9/3 Trails of flowers and vines fell from the musicians' gallery.
1951 Times 19 July 8/3 The bride..wore a classical dress of deep cream satin, with a full train falling from the shoulders.
2005 J. Sims Waiting for You i. 15 She had dark brown hair that fell to her waist.
5.
a. intransitive. Esp. of a lamb, calf, or foal: to be born. Also in figurative contexts. Cf. drop v. 14, fall n.2 15. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > animal body > general parts > sexual organs and reproduction > [verb (intransitive)] > be born
fallc1275
c1275 in C. Brown Eng. Lyrics 13th Cent. (1932) 50 Hwenne þat child bid [emended in ed. to bið] iboren & on eorþe i-falle.
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 2081 (MED) Mare fersere in feld fell neuire of modire.
1532–3 Act 24 Hen. VIII c. 7 in Statutes of Realm (1817) III. 423 Any maner yonge suckyng calff..which..shall happen to fall or to be calved.
1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry iii. f. 139 Many prefer the Winter Lambe before those that fall in the spring.
1607 G. Markham Cavelarice i. 32 If a Foale fall early in the yeare.
a1616 W. Shakespeare King John (1623) iii. i. 16 Let wiues with childe Pray that their burthens may not fall this day. View more context for this quotation
1675 T. Hobbes tr. Homer Odysses iv. 37 Ev'ry year the Sheep three times do breed, And all the Lambs fall horned from the Dam.
1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 121. ¶1 A Lamb no sooner falls from its Mother, but immediately [etc.].
a1776 D. Hume Life (1777) 7 Never literary attempt was more unfortunate than my Treatise of Human Nature. It fell dead-born from the press.
1845 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 5 i. 175 Calves that fall early enough to be fattened before grass time.
1864 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 25 ii. 296 The lambs should fall in May.
1892 Standard 12 Feb. 2/3 A plan which fell still-born.
1948 West Coast Sentinel (S. Austral.) 16 June 2/2 There is a splendid percentage of lambs falling, and most ewes are doing well.
1974 Weekly Weather & Crop Bull. (U.S. Dept. Commerce Weather Bureau) 5 Feb. 5/2 Livestock generally good. Few early calves and lambs falling, with no unusual problems.
b. transitive. To give birth to (a lamb, calf, etc.). rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > source or principle of life > birth > confinement > confine or deliver [verb (transitive)] > give birth
forthbring971
akenOE
haveOE
bearOE
to bring into the worldOE
teemOE
i-bereOE
to bring forthc1175
childc1175
reara1275
ofkenc1275
hatcha1350
makea1382
yielda1400
cleck1401
issue1447
engenderc1450
infant1483
deliver?a1518
whelp1581
world1596
yean1598
fall1600
to give (a person or thing) birth1615
to give birth to1633
drop1662
pup1699
born1703
to throw off1742
beteem1855
birth1855
parturiate1866
shell1890
to put to bed1973
bring-
1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice i. iii. 87 The..Ewes..did in eaning time Fall party-colourd lambs. View more context for this quotation
1967 in Dict. Amer. Regional Eng. (1991) II. 341/2 [She] fell a calf.
6.
a. intransitive. To be lowered; to drop or come down into place. Frequently, and in earliest use, with let: see to let fall at let v.1 22.Also in figurative contexts. the curtain falls: see curtain n.1 2a.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > move downwards [verb (intransitive)] > to a given position or direction
fallc1300
c1300 St. Katherine (Laud) l. 222 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 98 (MED) Four ȝweles of Iren he let fullen with rasores kene I-nowe.
c1450 (c1400) Sowdon of Babylon (1881) l. 432 The grete gloton Estragote..entrid at the Gate..The Porte-Colis on him thai lete falle.
1563 B. Googe Eglogs Epytaphes & Sonettes sig. H.iiv Tyll in my Countreye Coast, our Anker fall.
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) ii. v. sig. R2v The descending it [sc. his staffe] a little downe, the getting of it vp into the rest, the letting of the point fall..was but all one motion.
1599 W. Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet iv. i. 100 Thy eyes windowes fall . View more context for this quotation
1696 tr. J. Dumont New Voy. Levant 98 Let fall a Ladder of Ropes.
1732 H. Fielding Covent-Garden Trag. i. i. 2 The Play is done... I heard them hiss the Curtain as it fell.
1758 O. Goldsmith tr. J. Marteilhe Mem. Protestant I. 109 Should one of the Oars be lifted up, or fall too soon [etc.].
1840 Ceylon Mag. Sept. 28 His raised hands fell, his lips moved slowly.
1879 Times 8 Sept. 12/1 At the same moment a shutter on the switchboard falls and discloses the number of the applicant.
1906 Current Lit. Mar. 313/1 The levelled guns fell.
1928 Chicago Defender 28 Apr. i. 10/5 Under cover of darkness she stood in Gonave Bay and let her anchor fall.
2007 tr. C. Emcke Echoes of Violence 271 Every few minutes, the crash of blinds falling in front of shop windows announces the next departure.
b. intransitive. Of an object which is raised and lowered on a hinge (as a drawbridge, a door knocker, the lever in a striking clock, etc.): to drop to a lower position.In quot. c1440: (of a clock) to strike; cf. horologe n. 1a.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > move downwards [verb (intransitive)]
styc825
astyc975
alightOE
to fall adownOE
hieldc1275
downcomea1300
sink?a1300
avalec1374
to go downa1375
to come downc1380
dipc1390
descenda1393
clinea1400
declinea1400
downc1400
inclinec1400
vailc1400
fallc1440
devall1477
condescendc1485
to get down1567
lower1575
dismount1579
to fall down1632
down?1701
demount1837
the world > time > instruments for measuring time > clock > [phrase] > the clock strikes
fallc1440
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > falling > fall [verb (intransitive)] > drop or fall vertically > of object moving on a hinge
fallc1440
c1440 (?a1375) Abbey Holy Ghost (Thornton) in G. G. Perry Relig. Pieces in Prose & Verse (1914) 60 Be-fore þat þe Orloge falles or any belles rynges.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. xxviij The men of warre..toke ye ordinaunce of ye bridge & then let ye bridge fall, so yt al entred yt would.
1621 J. Fletcher et al. Trag. of Thierry & Theodoret iii. ii. sig. F4 The vault is ready, and the dore conuyes too 't, Falls just behind his chaire.
a1703 R. Hooke in W. Derham Philos. Exper. R. Hooke & Other Virtuoso's (1726) 42 The Stations or Places of the first four Punches are marked on a Scrowl of Paper, by the Clock-Hammer, falling every Quarter of an Hour.
1793 S. Gunning Mem. Mary V. 188 Next morning half the belles in town Stopp'd at their door... Unceasingly the knocker fell.
1867 Rep. Artisans Paris Universal Exhib. ii. 14 Against this case is a swing-hinge... The door must rise and fall as with a rising joint hinge.
1881 W. W. Greener Gun & its Devel. (1888) 139 The block is..held in position by a spring stud until the hammer falls.
1986 B. Fiero Geol. Great Basin i. v. 35/2 The clock hammer falls to strike midnight.
2012 D. Quammen Spillover lvii. 280 When the door [of the cage] fell, I should get there immediately and lock it down with my foot.
†c. transitive. To lower (something). In later use usually paired with raise. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > causing to come or go down > cause to come or go down [verb (transitive)]
besench971
avalec1314
sinka1325
lighta1400
to get downa1450
abasec1450
descenda1475
base1489
fall1595
slopea1616
dimit1628
demit1646
send1657
down1852
dip1879
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > causing to come or go down > cause to come or go down [verb (transitive)] > lower or let down
abeyOE
fellOE
to let down1154
lowc1330
vailc1330
revalec1475
to let fallc1500
bate1530
stoop1530
down1595
fall1595
embase1605
dismount1609
lower1626
sink1632
prostratea1718
1595 V. Saviolo Practise i. sig. L3 In your cariage, make shew to put by his Rapier with your dagger, and sodainly fal your point vnder his sword.
1612 For Colony Virginea Britannia 40 Their Officers shall teach euery Souldier to handle his peece; first to present it..and then to giue fire.., and so to fall his Piece to the right side with the nose vp.
1665 G. Havers tr. P. della Valle Trav. E. India 2 We cast Anchor without falling our sails.
1692 Smith's Sea-mans Gram. (new ed.) ii. xxii. 135 Causing a Matross to raise or fall the Gun with an Hank-spike.
1748 S. Richardson Clarissa V. vi. 82 Half-rearing the lids, to see who the next-comer was; and falling them again.
1795 J. Phillips Gen. Hist. Inland Navigation (rev. ed.) 8 Method employed..to raise or fall vessels out of one Canal into another.
1807 J. Barlow Columbiad vii. 254 They..the sullen drawbridge fall.
1817 F. Iremonger Dr. Bell's Syst. of Instr. 30 Pointing to the boy who is to begin, raising or falling the hand, or other devices which the teachers are sure to invent.
1863 Wisconsin Farmer Jan. 8/1 There should be a contrivance to raise or fall the tubes at once, at least one foot clear of the ground.
†d. transitive. Campanology. To lower (a bell) so that it comes to rest with the mouth facing downwards. Cf. raise v.1 19d. Obsolete.The usual term is now either lower or drop.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > playing instruments > bell-ringing > [verb (transitive)] > let bell drop
fall1820
1820 L. L. Cameron Mem. Emma & her Nurse iii. 35 Dear mother, do hear how suddenly they are falling the bells just as they had begun to ring.
1868 E. B. Denison Clocks & Watches & Bells (ed. 5) 415 In some parts of England they never raise and ‘fall’ the bells in order.
1928 J. R. Nichols Bells thro' Ages iii. 74 At the church where the writer rings regularly, it is customary to ‘fall’ the bells after ringing for evening service or practice, thus to prevent water or snow collecting in the crown of the upturned bell.
7.
a. intransitive. Usually with on or upon. Of light or shadow: to be cast in the specified way or on the specified person or thing. Also occasionally: †transitive to direct (light) upon something (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > impact > impinge [verb (intransitive)] > upon a particular place or position
lightc1225
falla1398
the world > space > direction > direct [verb (transitive)] > cause to fall in specific direction
casta1400
falla1774
pitch1785
the world > movement > impelling or driving > impel or drive [verb (transitive)] > so as to hit something
falla1774
the world > matter > light > darkness or absence of light > intercepting or cutting off of light > be intercepted or cut off [verb (intransitive)] > be cast (of shadows)
fall1862
beshadowed-
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xix. viii. 1276 Whanne an holowȝ merour is ysette in þe sonne beme, and þe light falleþ [L. cadens] on al þe merour and reboundeþ into þe myddel þerof.
?a1560 L. Digges Geom. Pract.: Pantometria (1571) vi. sig. C.iijv The visible beames falling on playne conuese or concaue glasses, are reflected in equall angles.
1658 T. Willsford Natures Secrets 61 A Rain-bow..formed by the light rays of the Sun falling upon vapours..opposite unto him.
1685 W. Salmon Polygraphice (ed. 5) ii. ix. 83 When you imitate Plaster, be sure to take the true out-lines or circumferences, and taking notice how the shadow falls, to do it very faint.
1709 G. Berkeley Ess. New Theory of Vision §35. 35 The Rays falling on the Pupil.
a1764 J. Harris Treat. Optics (1775) ii. i. 116 Place a book..before this hindermost candle, as to prevent its light from falling upon one half of the paper.
a1774 O. Goldsmith Surv. Exper. Philos. (1776) II. 235 A number of plain glasses, united to fall their rays upon the same spot, would actually burn.
1862 J. Tyndall Mountaineering in 1861 ii. 11 Soft shadows fell from shrub and rock.
1890 Spectator 10 May The dreary forest, where full light never falls.
1981 T. C. Boyle Water Music (1983) ii. 284 The firelight falls across the boy's pinched features, illuminating the greasy wisps of hair and smudged face.
2001 New Yorker 15 Jan. 5/2 The light falling on a number of the figures comes from the upper right.
b. intransitive. Of a person's eyes or gaze: to (come to) be directed downwards, to be lowered (typically as a sign of embarrassment, modesty, or evasion). In early use usually in the bare infinitive following let.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > move downwards [verb (intransitive)] > be lowered or cast down
falla1413
a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1881) i. l. 290 She leet falle Here look a lite a-side in swych manere Ascaunces.
c1430 (c1386) G. Chaucer Legend Good Women (Cambr. Gg.4.27) (1879) 1734 Mekely hyre eyen let she falle.
1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene i. ii. sig. B6v With chaunge of chear the seeming simple maid Let fal her eien, as shamefast to the earth.
1694 tr. Lett. Turkish Spy VII. iv. ix. 311 People shall let their Eyes fall on the Ground, when they meet him in the Streets,..overcome by the Lustre of Modesty, Grace and Vertue which shines in his Countenance.
1748 S. Richardson Clarissa III. lxiii. 300 Their eyes fell, as I may say, under my eye, as if they could not stand its examination.
1790 M. Pilkington Delia III. lxxx. 225 At the mention of his name, Lady Archer's face glowed like crimson, her bosom heaved and her eyes fell to the ground.
1860 Chambers's Jrnl. 24 Nov. 327/2 Her glance fell; and the circle of crimson suffusion upon her cheeks seemed slightly to extend its circumference.
1889 F. M. Crawford Greifenstein II. xviii. 234 His eyes fell before her gaze.
1911 N.Y. Times 30 Sept. 22/3 When Inspector Hughes asked if he knew Michele the child's gaze fell.
2014 D. Wallace Who is Tom Ditto? (2015) 318 Her eyes fell a little. The words were a dent in her armour.
c. intransitive. With on or upon. Of a person's eyes or gaze: to be drawn or directed towards the specified person or thing, esp. by chance.
ΚΠ
1598 J. Marston Scourge of Villanie ii. vi. sig. E8v He nere read one line in Iuvenall, Or in his life his lazie eye let fall On duskie Perseus.
1769 Descr. Eng. & Wales V. 38 A little farther the eye falls on that noble structure the hospital.
1859 Harper's Mag. May 791/2 Her glance..fell upon us.
1886 A. Sergeant No Saint II. vi. 131 His eye fell once more upon Cissy.
1922 B. Bornstead in B. R. Lewis Contemp. One-act Plays 351 (stage direct.) While her glance revolves about the room, she starts slightly as her gaze falls upon the clock.
1980 M. Thelwell Harder they Come (1988) v. 127 When, with studied unconcern, his glance fell on them, he found that no one was looking at him.
2002 J. Barclay Paras over Barras i. 1 His eyes fell on the framed photographs on the mantleshelf.
8. intransitive. To land in the specified place, or come into the specified position or arrangement, esp. in the course of events, or without force or effort; to come naturally into position. Said of both material and immaterial things.Often with the notion of downward movement weakened or lost.See also to fall into place at place n.1 Phrases 1h. †to fall on shore: to run aground (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > have specific position or arrangement [verb (intransitive)] > come naturally into a position
falla1400
society > travel > travel by water > grounding of vessel > be aground [verb (intransitive)] > go aground > accidentally
runc1275
to fall on shorea1400
strike1518
shore1600
to run agrounda1616
embanka1649
strand1687
the world > space > place > position or situation > [verb (transitive)] > take up (a position) > return to original position
fall1809
a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 316 (MED) In þis maner þe boon schal falle into his ioinct.
1405 in H. M. Flasdieck Mittelengl. Originalurkunden (1926) 37 (MED) Ȝif ony wrek falle vp on his soyle..from the forsaide newe hauen at Walberswyk.
1517 R. Torkington Oldest Diarie Englysshe Trav. (1884) 22 We..fell to an Ankyr in the Rode.
a1593 C. Marlowe Edward II (1594) sig. I With..sore tempests driuen, To fall on shoare.
1674 E. B. tr. J.Scultetus Chyrurgeons Store-house 76 The crack that is perceived by the Patient, and the standers by, when the bone falls into his socket.
1687 A. Behn Luckey Chance Pref. sig. A4v The words..so naturally fall into the places they are designed for..that there is not the least Fault to be found with them.
1772 J. Adams tr. A. de Ulloa Voy. S. Amer. (ed. 3) II. 287 The ship will fall into her station without any difficulty.
1793 J. Smeaton Narr. Edystone Lighthouse (ed. 2) §229 She..fell upon the south reef near the highest part.
1809 J. Roland Amateur of Fencing 140 After which fall on the position of the guard.
1827 O. W. Roberts Narr. Voy. Central Amer. 126 A heavy sea falls on the coast.
1842 Caledonian Mercury 12 Dec. The Lord Ogilby, Morris, bound to Alicant,..lost her way and fell on shore on the north bank, but was assisted off this night's tide without damage.
1886 R. C. Praed Miss Jacobsen's Chance I. x. 205 The object of it..checked his horse and fell abreast of her.
1935 J. D. Wilson What happens in Hamlet iii. 82 Once we have the key to the puzzle a number of other little pieces fall into their places.
2009 D. Bartlett tr. J. Nesbø Redeemer ii. 20 She shut the door and the lock fell into position with a well-oiled click.
9.
a. intransitive. Of a weapon, tool, etc.: to be brought down so as to strike a person or thing. Frequently with on or upon. Also in figurative contexts.
ΚΠ
?1537 Hugh of Caumpedene tr. Hist. Kyng Boccus sig. H.iv Some dyeth in batayle and in fyght With staffe or swerde as falleth lyght.
1561 B. Googe tr. ‘M. Palingenius’ Zodiake of Life (new ed.) sig. L.v I vewe the bloudy broyles with shining swordes that fall.
1577 H. I. tr. H. Bullinger 50 Godlie Serm. I. ii. viii. sig. N.iii/2 Letting the murderer goe vntouched, on whose necke the Lord gaue charge to let the sword fall.
1637 H. Sydenham Serm. Solemne Occasions 73 The lash falls not so much on the back of the transgressor, as his purse.
1644 K. Digby Two Treat. i. viii. 58 Our eyes..can perceiue a good way distant the carpenters axe falling vpon the timber that he heweth.
1710 Tryals High Treason 18 I let my Whip fall, and gave him a Lash.
1796 R. Southey Joan of Arc vii. 625 The mighty Talbot came, And smote his helmet: slant the weapon fell.
1859 Upper Canada Law. Jrnl. 5 95/1 Before the hammer falls, the owner bids a higher sum.
1881 W. Besant & J. Rice Chaplain of Fleet I. viii. 187 The cruel cat falling at every step upon their naked and bleeding shoulders.
1910 C. T. Brady S. Amer. Fights & Fighters i. 49 When the axe fell that severed his head, the noblest Spaniard of the time..was judicially murdered.
1993 Mod. Railways July 393/4 The axe falls hardest on the multiple-unit factory at York, which loses about a third of its 1,600-strong workforce.
2008 Daily Mail (Nexis) 13 Aug. 34 Jane felt no more pain and was conscious only of..a terrible jolt to her body each time the lash fell.
†b. transitive. To bring down (a weapon, tool, etc.) so as to strike a person or thing. Obsolete.Chiefly in Shakespeare. In quot. 1802 archaic.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > use or wield (a weapon) [verb (transitive)]
wieldOE
swipc1275
layc1330
fall1597
ground?1650
1597 W. Shakespeare Richard III v. v. 89 To morrow in the battaile..fall thy edgeles sword. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) iii. v. 5 The common executioner..Falls not the axe vpon the humbled neck, But first begs pardon. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) ii. i. 301 When I reare my hand, do you the like To fall it on Gonzalo. View more context for this quotation
1802 Port Folio 30 Jan. 32/2 The lusty woodman falls His axe upon the trunk of some fall'n tree.
10. intransitive. Real Tennis. Of a ball: to bounce on the floor for a second time, so that it is no longer in play.The place where the ball falls determines the chase (chase n.1 7).
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > racket games > real tennis > play real tennis [verb (intransitive)] > action of ball
fall1890
nick1898
1890 J. M. Heathcote et al. Tennis (Badminton Libr. of Sports & Pastimes) iii. 47 The marker observes where the ball ‘falls’ and calls a chase at the spot where it has ‘fallen’.
1900 G. E. A. Ross in A. E. T. Watson Young Sportsman 610 The marker, seeing that it [sc. the ball] ‘falls’ (i.e., comes into contact with the floor for the second time) on the line 2, calls out ‘chase 2’.
1957 Encycl. Brit. XIII. 793/1 If a ball fell on the line marked 4, he [sc. the marker] would call ‘chase 4’.
1999 M. P. Garnett Chase Down-under lxxviii. 466 When the ball enters a gallery (except the winning gallery) or falls on a line on the floor (unless it falls on or nearer the back wall than the service line) it makes a chase at the gallery it enters or at the line on which it falls.
** Figurative and abstract senses.
11.
a. intransitive. Of night, or the darkness of night: to begin, to set in. Also occasionally of winter. Cf. fall n.2 22, nightfall n. 2.In later use sometimes interpreted as a specific use of sense 51.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > day and night > day or daytime > evening > become evening [verb (intransitive)] > fall (of night) or grow dark
fallOE
nightc1440
to fall ona1450
nighten1561
gloom1595
gloam1819
dusken1870
dusk1876
to shut down1880
OE Wærferð tr. Gregory Dialogues (Corpus Cambr.) (1900) ii. xxxiii. 167 Þa þa eallunga þære nihte þeostru heom onsæton & feollon, [hi fencgon] samod to mete.
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xviii. xii. 1142 If nyght falleþ vpon hem in her iournay.
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 190 Where nyght fallys on you, loke ye there abyde.
?1555 J. Bradford Exhort. carienge Chrystes Crosse ii. 13 The marte and fayer wyll then be past, the nighte wyll fall, ye can not trauayll.
1615 T. Overbury et al. New & Choise Characters with Wife (6th impr.) sig. K5v When winter euenings fall early.
1730 J. Thomson Winter in Seasons 194 Thus Winter falls, A heavy gloom oppressive o'er the world.
1771 E. Griffith tr. ‘P. Viaud’ Shipwreck 86 Night began to fall.
1805 W. Scott Lay of Last Minstrel iii. xxiv. 83 The evening fell, 'Twas near the time of curfew bell.
1841 H. W. Longfellow Excelsior 1 The shades of night were falling fast.
1931 Times 7 Apr. 7/2 When darkness fell there was no sign of the climbers.
1969 A. Brown tr. A. O. Exquemelin Buccaneers of Amer. vii. 76 Dusk fell.
2014 A. Mirabella Sweetheart (2016) iv. 63 Peggy does not wait until morning to leave; she is gone before night falls.
b. intransitive. Of a feeling, condition, or state (typically one with negative, solemn, or quiet connotations, as depression, fear, disease, silence, sleep, etc.): to begin to affect, characterize, or settle on a person or place. Usually with on or upon. Cf. descend v. 4c.
ΚΠ
OE Judgement Day I 72 Ne con he þæs brogan dæl, yfles ondgiet, ær hit hine on fealleð.
OE Stowe Psalter liv. 5 Formido mortis cecidit super me : fyrhto deaþes feoll ofer me.
c1250 in Stud. Philol. (1931) 28 597 He is liche to amon þat dropesie is fallen on.
c1350 Psalter (BL Add. 17376) in K. D. Bülbring Earliest Compl. Eng. Prose Psalter (1891) liv. 4 Drede of deþ fel vp me.
a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 266 Þe frenesie fil on hir.
1560 Bible (Geneva) Judith ii. 28 Therefore feare and trembling fel vpon all the inhabitants of the sea coast.
1569 R. Grafton Chron. II. 16 Great moreyne fell vpon brute beastes.
1611 Bible (King James) Gen. ii. 21 God caused a deepe sleepe to fall vpon Adam. View more context for this quotation
1658 E. Waller & S. Godolphin tr. Virgil Passion of Dido for Æneas sig. E3 A deathlike quiet, and deep silence fell.
1791 T. Beddoes tr. J. K. A. Musäus Pop. Tales of Germans I. 206 Great surprize and terror fell on the abashed company of bathers.
1860 T. Martin tr. Horace Odes 112 Wonder fell on all.
1886 A. Sergeant No Saint II. vi. 132 A great stillness fell upon the place.
1921 Boston Med. & Surg. Jrnl. 8 Dec. 704/1 A bad sickness had fallen upon their village, and..they had come away to escape it.
1955 A. MacLean H.M.S. Ulysses i. 32 Silence fell, a silence broken only by the patter of sleet and hail.
2003 Irish News (Nexis) 23 Jan. 24 A great sadness fell on me as I knew that no future generation would ever see and know this magnificent bird.
12. intransitive. Of anger, vengeance, punishment, suspicion, etc., or (occasionally) mercy, compassion, etc.: to be brought upon or directed towards someone; (in early use) esp. to be sent down by God. Usually with on or upon (in early use also with indirect personal object). Cf. to come down 2a at come v. Phrasal verbs 1.In quot. OE as part of an extended metaphor with allusion to sense 2a.In some later examples, in which the figurative sense of descent is weakened or lost, closer to branch IV.
ΚΠ
eOE Junius Psalter lxviii. 10 Obprobria exprobrantium tibi ceciderunt super me : hospas edwitendra ðe feollon ofer me.
OE Vercelli Homilies (1992) xi. 225 On þam manigfealdum unieðnessum þe dæghwamlice on manna cynn fealleð on misgewidrum.
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 1585 (MED) Him vel vrecche of god, vor he þe apostles slou.
c1330 (?a1300) Sir Tristrem (1886) l. 2951 Maugre on me falle Ȝif y þe wold slo!
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 10270 For þis resun Es fallen on þe þis malicoun.
?a1475 Ludus Coventriae (1922) 363 (MED) Besekyng, thy mercy may vp-on vs falle.
1550 R. Crowley One & Thyrtye Epigrammes sig. Bi The vengeaunce of God muste fall no remedye, Upon these wicked men.
1655 T. Fuller Church-hist. Brit. iv. 140 Most fiercely fell their fury on the Dutch.
1757 W. Wilkie Epigoniad v. 151 Ere yet their vengeance falls, the pow'rs invoke.
a1770 J. Jortin Serm. (1771) II. x. 200 Calamities..fall upon the good and the bad.
1838 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece (new ed.) IV. 47 The suspicion of disaffection..fell on a man of eminent talents.
1870 J. E. T. Rogers Hist. Gleanings 2nd Ser. 48 A fiery persecution fell on the Lollards.
1971 Country Life 11 Mar. 541/1 Not much in the way of punishment for hubris will be seen falling on the heads of the publicity-maniacs.
2010 Times 10 July (Playlist section) 53/2 A prep school student is murdered and suspicion immediately falls on a classmate.
13. intransitive. Of words or an utterance: to issue or proceed from a person or a person's mouth. Usually with from.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > speak, say, or utter [verb (transitive)] > said or uttered > issue from
fallOE
withpassa1340
OE Wærferð tr. Gregory Dialogues (Corpus Cambr.) (1900) ii. xxiii. 151 Ne feollon [L. cadebant] nanra þinga þas word on idelnysse of his muðe.
c1390 in C. Brown Relig. Lyrics 14th Cent. (1924) 154 (MED) Þe peynted word þat fel biforen, Be-hynde, hit is anoþer hewe.
c1450 in Englische Studien (1925) 59 7 (MED) Wyth short avis and lyght discrecioun, Ye let youre wordys boystously don falle.
1536 R. Taverner tr. P. Melanchthon Apol. sig. C.vii, in Confessyon Fayth Germaynes Leaste we shulde thynke that this sentence fell from Paule vnwares, that fayth iustifieth, he mainteyneth and confyrmeth it with a longe disputacyon in the fourthe chapitre.
a1568 R. Ascham Scholemaster (1570) ii. f. 64 Some wordes do so scape & fall from him in those bookes, as be not worth the taking vp, by him, that is carefull to speake or write trew Latin.
1605 Bp. J. Hall Medit. & Vowes II. §88 It was an excellent rule that fell from Epicure.
1662 J. Glanvill Lux Orientalis iv. 52 There being not a word let fall from them in disapprooval of that opinion.
1710 W. Talbot Speech in House of Lords 1st Article Impeachment Dr. Sacheverell 2 Some of this Bench are necessarily call'd up, by Words which fell from the Noble Lord who spake third in this Debate.
1770 W. Hodson Ded. Temple of Solomon 1 Wisdom falling from his Tongue.
1813 J. Hogg Queen's Wake ii. xiii. 193 The words that fell from her mouth, Were words of wonder.
1861 H. A. Jacobs Incidents Life Slave Girl x. 88 Her reproaches fell so hot and heavy, that they left me no chance to answer.
1966 A. Higgins Langrishe, go Down i. 18 Was it some ruffian, through a careless word let fall, come to waylay her?
2016 Wexford People (Nexis) 21 June 8 The wife gazes adoringly at him all night, nodding in agreement at every word that falls from his lips.
14.
a. intransitive. To descend from a position of high status, wealth, excellence, etc. Frequently with from, as to fall from glory (prosperity, favour, etc.).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > adversity > be in adversity [verb (intransitive)] > fall from prosperous or thriving condition
afalleOE
wanec1000
fallOE
ebba1420
to go backward?a1425
to go down?1440
decay1483
sink?a1513
delapsea1530
reel1529
decline1530
to go backwards1562
rue1576
droop1577
ruina1600
set1607
lapse1641
to lose ground1647
to go to pigs and whistles1794
to come (also go) down in the world1819
to peg out1852
to lose hold, one's balance1877
to go under1879
toboggan1887
slip1930
to turn down1936
OE Homily (Corpus Cambr. 421) in A. S. Napier Wulfstan (1883) 262 Swa ða hean mihta her on worulde hreosað and feallað and to lore weorðað.
OE Lambeth Psalter v. 11 Decidant a cogitationibus suis, secundum multitudinem impietatem [read impietatum] eorum expelle eos : feallan hi uel gehreosan hi fram geþohtum heora æfter mænigfyldnysse arleasnessa heora afyrsa uel utadræf hi.
c1330 (?c1300) Speculum Guy (Auch.) (1898) l. 630 (MED) He þat wole him heinen here..In litel while he shal..falle þerfore swiþe lowe.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 8992 He fell fra liue and saul hele.
c1405 (c1375) G. Chaucer Monk's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 495 Why he fil fro heigh prosperitee.
a1500 ( J. Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. (Rawl.) (1898) 143 (MED) Men that fro riches byth falle into pouerte.
?1526 P. Bush Extirpacion of Ignorancy sig. B.iiiv What caused Nabugodonosor, a kyng of gret fame To fall from his regall state, to lede a lyfe brutall.
1590 T. Fenne Frutes sig. Bb4v My sodaine chance..To fall so low, whom Fortune earst so highly did aduance.
1647 S. Danforth Almanack 9 Discontented Bellyes shall Wish that the highest now might fall.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost i. 84 How fall'n! how chang'd From him, who..didst outshine Myriads. View more context for this quotation
1732 London Mag. July 195/2 He saw himself fall from Honour to Ignominy at once.
1820 J. Keats Isabella in Lamia & Other Poems 65 Sweet Isabel By gradual decay from beauty fell.
1846 R. C. Trench Christ Desire of All Nations viii. 164 We fall below our position.
1948 G. Speaight in M. Batchelder Puppet Theatre Handbk. p. xx ‘Ombres chinoises’ were extremely popular..during the eighteenth century, but later fell from favour.
1990 R. Kray Born Fighter v. 105 He fell so low in life that he became a hobo.
2006 Daily Mail (Nexis) 19 Apr. 5 History is littered with tales of powerful men who fell from glory after their heads were turned by pretty women.
b. intransitive. To descend from a state of moral rectitude, virtue, or grace. Frequently spec. with reference to the Fall of Man (see fall n.2 5b). In early use occasionally: †transitive to cause (a person) to descend from virtue, etc. (obsolete). In quot. OE2 implying renunciation of the Christian faith; cf. to fall away 2a at Phrasal verbs 1.See also to fall from grace at grace n. Phrases 4b.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > moral evil > moral or spiritual degeneration > degenerate [verb (intransitive)]
afallOE
fallOE
out of kinda1375
degender1539
degenerate1553
decline1604
OE tr. Defensor Liber Scintillarum (1969) xvii. 167 Qui de uirtutibus effectis exsistunt superbi cadentes, carnis uitio humiliantur, ut surgant : þa þe of mægenum gewordenum wuniað ofermode feallende flæsces of leahtre beoð geeadmette þæt hi arisan.
OE Wærferð tr. Gregory Dialogues (Corpus Cambr.) (1900) iii. xxviii. 233 We þæt eallinga ongæton of heora ænde, þæt hi [sc. martyras] ne mihton feallan [L. cadere] on open[r]e ehtnesse.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 7640 Fele shulenn fallenn. & fele shulenn risenn upp.
c1225 (?c1200) Hali Meiðhad (Bodl.) (1940) l. 290 Hwa se swa falleð of meiðhades menske.
a1300 (c1275) Physiologus (1991) l. 493 Ðus fel Adam ðurȝ a tre.
1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende f. ccxv/2 To exclude hem from the felicite that they fil fro.
1565 J. Shute tr. P. Viret 1st Pt. Christian Instr. 4 Our first parentes..fell from that hye degree and state of felicitie, peace, quietnes, and ioye.
1592 A. Day 2nd Pt. Eng. Secretorie sig. M3v, in Eng. Secretorie (rev. ed.) By desire men are inflamed, by anger kindled, fallen by error.
1607 Bp. J. Hall Holy Observ. 110 Fall'n to bee levell with their fellows; and from thence beneath them, to a mediocrity.
1621 R. Burton Anat. Melancholy i. i. ii. xi. 43 Falne from his first perfection.
1707 J. Norris Pract. Treat. Humility v. 199 Pride..made them..fall from goodness and happiness.
1728 J. Veneer tr. Compan. Sincere Penitent Pref. 6 How easy it may be..to fall from one wickedness to another.
1875 H. E. Manning Internal Mission of Holy Ghost i. 12 The first Adam..by sinning fell and died.
1879 F. W. Farrar Life & Work St. Paul I. i. iv. 70 The sense of sin oppressed him... He was ever falling and falling, and no hand was held out to help him.
1992 S. J. Yee Black Women Abolitionists ii. 40 If they lost their virginity before marriage, they would fall from virtue.
2005 T. Inbody Faith of Christian Church 145 It is not the case that humanity was created perfect and then fell.
II. To sink, subside, or decline.
* Concrete and related senses.
15.
a. intransitive. Of water, flames, etc.: to decrease in height, subside; spec. (of the sea, a river, or other body of water) to recede through tidal action or after flooding; (of the tide) to ebb. Also in figurative contexts.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > liquid > [verb (intransitive)] > have surface at specific level > rise or fall
falleOE
rise1599
the world > the earth > water > flow or flowing > tide > type of tide > types of tide [verb (intransitive)] > ebb
falleOE
ebbOE
wanec1290
reflow1429
to go out1595
to run out1608
refloat1632
the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > heat > burning > fire or flame > become fire [verb (intransitive)] > subside (of fire or flame)
falleOE
slakec1340
sink1611
burn low1834
flit1839
to die down1895
eOE tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (Tanner) v. xiii. 426 Ða æteowdan..monige heapas sweartra lega, ða wæron up astigende swa swa of miclum seaðe, & eft wæron fallende & gewitende in ðone ilcan seað.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 1876 How sal we o þis waters weit Quedir þai be fulli fallen yeit?
a1425 (a1400) Prick of Conscience (Galba & Harl.) (1863) l. 1216 Þe se..Ebbes and flowes, and falles agayn.
1538 T. Elyot Dict. at Vndisonus A noyse lyke to wawes whan they ryse and fall in the water.
1565 A. Golding tr. Caesar Martiall Exploytes in Gallia v. f. 134v The flame began a litle to fal.
a1600 ( W. Stewart tr. H. Boece Bk. Cron. Scotl. (1858) II. l. 33845 Quhen that the flude war fawin.
1670 J. Narborough Jrnl. in Acct. Several Late Voy. (1711) i. 66 The Water riseth and falls perpendicular ten Feet.
1682 T. Otway Venice Preserv'd i. 11 The obsequious Billows fall And rise again.
1726 J. Swift Gulliver I. i. v. 82 The Tyde was a little fallen.
1803 R. Southey Inchcape Rock in Morning Post 19 Oct. 3/3 So little they [sc. waves] rose, so little they fell.
a1822 P. B. Shelley Peter Bell III iv, in Poet. Wks. (?1840) 242/2 What though..wit, like ocean, rose and fell?
1849 J. Ruskin Seven Lamps Archit. vii. 185 The ocean falls and flows.
1886 J. H. Shorthouse Sir Percival iii. 99 Flames that leaped up suddenly and fell again.
1914 Youth's Compan. 31 Aug. p. iii/3 His fire had fallen to a smoky flame no bigger than the illumination of a tallow dip.
1936 Times 8 Dec. 8/5 The motor-vessel Sincerity is lying across the River Colne... With the spring tides falling the prospects of refloating her for a fortnight are becoming remoter each tide.
2009 Courier Mail (Austral.) (Nexis) 10 Feb. 16 Cane farmers want sunshine and for flood waters to fall so they can assess damage to their crops.
b. intransitive. Of the liquid in a barometer, thermometer, or similar measuring instrument: to sink to a lower level. Hence: (of such an instrument) to indicate decreasing pressure, temperature, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > weather > study or science of weather > meteorological instruments > [verb (intransitive)] > rise and fall quickly (of liquid in barometer) > sink to lower level
fall1643
1643 W. Stampe Serm. Oxf. 9 Our doctrine should not bee like the water in the weather-glasse, that rises and falls according as the winde sits.
1660 R. Boyle New Exper. Physico-mechanicall xxiii. 78 They found the suspended mercury fall a little as they ascended the hill.
1698 Pendragon 95 Weather-glasses fall or rise According to the Clouds i' th' Skies.
1718 J. Laurence Fruit-garden Kalendar 146 The Wind full South, and the Mercury falling, is another never-failing Sign of Rain.
1798 tr. J. F. G. de la Pérouse Voy. round World II. x. 188 The barometer fell considerably.
1825 A. Caldcleugh Trav. S. Amer. I. xi. 342 The thermometer in the winter seldom falls to freezing.
1860 Adm. Fitz-Roy in Mercantile Marine Mag. 7 338 The quicksilver ranges, or rises and falls, nearly three inches.
1939 Scotsman 11 Jan. 8/5 December 21 was the coldest day of the year, the thermometer falling to 11 degrees F.
1975 Flying Mar. 46/1 That evening..the mercury was falling even lower. In the sky, the cirrus had changed to altostratus.
2011 S. Steingraber Raising Elijah (2013) i. 14 The barometer fell all afternoon.
16.
a. intransitive. Of a river or stream: to discharge or flow into (also †in, †on) the sea or another body of water. Now chiefly South Asian.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > water > rivers and streams > action of river > flow (of river) [verb (intransitive)] > disembogue
fallOE
disbogue1589
empty1591
to have one's forth1597
disembogue1598
mouth1598
dimit16..
dischannel1607
ingurgitate1632
discharge1816
debouch1834
erupt1864
gurgitate1907
OE Bounds (Sawyer 892) in D. Hooke Warwickshire Anglo-Saxon Charter-bounds (1999) 71 Þæt is þonne þær Hlodbroc fealþ on Ycænan.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 702 Þer Læire falleð i þa sæ.
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. xiii. iii. 654 Þis ryuer Downow..falleþ into þe see þat hat Ponticum.
?a1425 (c1400) Mandeville's Trav. (Titus C.xvi) (1919) 28 (MED) Þere it [sc. the Nile] falleth in to the see.
1490 W. Caxton tr. Boke yf Eneydos xxxiii. sig. Hviiiv The ryuer of the tonyre..falleth there in to the see.
1553 J. Brende tr. Q. Curtius Rufus Hist. vi. f. 102v A ryuer called zioberis..as it ronneth forewardes drawith more narow, and falleth into an other streame named Rhydago.
1613 S. Purchas Pilgrimage v. i. 381 The Riuer Ganges..falleth into the Gulfe of Bengala.
1727 J. Arbuthnot Tables Anc. Coins 251 The Loir, and the Rivers that fall into it.
1825 New Monthly Mag. 15 397/1 Rivers that fall into Lake Huron.
1865 F. Hall in H. H. Wilson tr. Vishńu Puráńa II. 150 A river Veńi..falls into the Kŕishńá.
1948 I. M. Lask tr. S. Y. Agnon In Heart of Seas vii. 53 They..set sail on the river Danube until they reached a certain spot..where the river falls into the Black Sea.
1999 Times of India 21 May 10/4 It [sc. a cyclone] is now on the coast towards the left bank of river Indus where the river falls into the sea.
2003 in M. Meyler Dict. Sri Lankan Eng. (2007) 87/2 It [sc. a river] fell into the sea at Dutch Bay.
b. intransitive. Of a road: to lead or turn into (occasionally on to) another road, esp. a larger one. Now chiefly South Asian.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > route or way > way, path, or track > junction of roads, paths, or tracks > meet another road or path [verb (intransitive)]
fall1693
1693 in Colonial Rec. Pennsylvania (1852) I. 389 Lay outt the king's road, where it may fall into the king's old road.
1706 in Colonial Rec. Pennsylvania (1852) II. 276 A Road..falling into the Road leading to Philadelphia.
a1746 E. Holdsworth Remarks & Diss. Virgil (1768) 604 About a mile below S. Pietro Fano this road falls into the Via Latina.
1841 E. Robinson Bibl. Res. Palestine I. ii. 54 A fourth and longer road..falls into the main trunk before reaching that fortress.
1992 S. Muthiah Madras Discovered (rev. ed.) x. 160 The northern bounds were probably about where San Thomé High Road falls into South Beach Road.
2004 in M. Meyler Dict. Sri Lankan Eng. (2007) 87/2 There are other roads from Hambantota that fall on to the same road.
17.
a. intransitive. To sink or descend to a lower position. Also occasionally: †transitive to cause (something) to sink or settle (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > causing to come or go down > cause to come or go down [verb (transitive)] > cause to sink, settle, or subside
allayOE
sink1627
fall1789
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 2288 Þreo & fifti scipen feollen to grunde in þa teonfulle sæ.
a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 350 Þan do hem to seþing on þe fier til þe herbis falle to þe botme.
1576 G. Baker tr. C. Gesner Newe Jewell of Health i. xiii. f. 26v If you cast a heare of the Eye browe into the same [Dystillation], and..it sinketh or falleth to the bottome incontinent [etc.].
1665 R. Hooke Micrographia 172 Flies..steady in one place of the air, without rising or falling.
1682 N. Grew Disc. Essent. & Marine Salts iv. i. §5 in Anat. Plants 262 This white Sedement began to fall to the bottom.
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at Heave) A Ship, being at Anchor, rises and falls by the Force of the Waves.
1733 Ess. Hunting 32 When the Air is light, or growing lighter, the Scent must proportionably be falling or sinking.
1789 Trans. Soc. Arts (ed. 2) 2 235 Throwing in a small quantity of oil to fall the froth.
1809 Med. & Physical Jrnl. 21 474 When boiled..the black oxide of iron fell down in abundance.
1832 C. Babbage Econ. Machinery & Manuf. (ed. 2) vii. 50 Bodies, in falling through a resisting medium, after a certain time acquire a uniform velocity.
1943 D. Welch Maiden Voy. xiii. 101 The gangway, springy as a diving-board, rose and fell.
1989 New Scientist 17 June 50/1 These sediments are constantly being laid down, as plankton die and fall to the seabed.
2013 M. Suri City of Devi 237 We spot the crows soon after... Hundreds of them rise and fall in the sky.
†b. intransitive. Of a bird: to descend from the air to the ground or some other surface; to land. Of a rider: to dismount. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > flight > [verb (intransitive)] > alight
falla1300
settle13..
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > move downwards [verb (intransitive)] > descend and settle
light?c1225
falla1300
alightc1330
settlec1380
lightenc1460
reside1616
to sit down1897
society > travel > transport > riding on horse (or other animal) > ride a horse (or other animal) [verb (intransitive)] > dismount
lighteOE
alightOE
falla1300
avoid1485
demountc1540
elight1542
descend1548
avale1590
dismount1594
alighten1600
unlight1623
unhorse1633
unmount1655
to get off1688
a1300 (c1275) Physiologus (1991) l. 274 Oðre fules hire fallen bi for to winnen fode.
?a1475 Ludus Coventriae (1922) 43 This crowe on sum careyn is fall for to ete.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Judges i. 14 She fell from the Asse.
c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 194 His broder..ffell vnto fote & his fole esyt.
c1575 Perfect Bk. Kepinge Sparhawkes (1886) 16 That will make her fall at marke.
1619 E. Bert Approved Treat. Hawkes 6 You may perhaps finde her folly giue her leaue to fall again vpon the ground within..twenty yards of you.
c. intransitive. Astrology. Of a planet or other celestial object: to move into a position in the Zodiac in which it is considered to exert the least influence. Cf. fall n.2 13b.rare before 20th cent.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > heavenly body > movement of heavenly bodies > move [verb (intransitive)]
movea1393
falla1398
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. viii. ix. 462 Mercurius arisiþ in Virgine..and falliþ [L. cadit] in Pissibus.
c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Wife of Bath's Tale (Ellesmere) (1872) l. 705 Mercurie is desolat In Pisces..And Venus falleth [Hengwrt faileth] ther Mercurie is reysed.
1951 A. A. Bailey Esoteric Alstrol. ii. 368 It is of great interest to the initiate or to the advanced disciple to realise that in this sign no planet either falls or is exalted.
2009 K. Abraham Astrol. Path Higher Consciousness 11 Opposite Libra—in the sign of Aries—Saturn falls.
d. intransitive. Of the sun: to sink towards or below the horizon; to set, go down. Also of other celestial objects. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > sun > solar movement > move [verb (intransitive)] > set
nipeeOE
grindc1050
to go to gladec1200
settlea1375
fall?c1400
shaftc1400
rebash1481
to go to1584
sinka1586
welk1590
wave1592
verge1610
sit1621
western1858
?c1400 (c1380) G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (BL Add. 10340) (1868) i. met. ii. l. 114 Whi þe sterre ryseþ oute of þe reede eest, to falle [L. sidus..casurum] in þe westren wawes.
?1575 R. Eden tr. J. Taisnier Bk. Nauigation sig. Cviii The nyght shal sooner begynne in the crooked Horizon, then in the ryght, because the Sunne fyrste falleth in the crooked Horizon.
1630 tr. G. Botero Relations Famous Kingdomes World (rev. ed.) 19 To places parallel, the Sunne neither riseth, nor falleth.
1658 T. Willsford Natures Secrets 37 Those Asterismes..That in the night do either rise or fall.
1669 S. Sturmy Mariners Mag. ii. 85 The Sun..is descending, or as we commonly say he is fallen.
1714 N. Rowe Trag. Jane Shore i. 12 In vain look back to what she was before, She sets, like Stars that fall, to rise no more.
1738 A. Pope 6th Epist. 1st Bk. Horace Imitated 3 This Vault of Air, this congregated Ball, Self-centred Sun, and Stars that rise and fall.
1842 Ld. Tennyson Dora in Poems (new ed.) II. 36 The sun fell, and all the land was dark.
1857 Illustr. London News 10 Jan. 22/3 Great Kepler watch'd the planets rise and fall.
2007 Sport Diver May 82/3 As the sun falls, the dust slowly settles on the empty road.
†e. intransitive. Of a ship: to move down the face of a wave into the trough of the sea. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > launching a vessel > be launched [verb (intransitive)] > of ship: go down slope
fall1691
1691 W. Petty Treat. Naval Philos. in T. Hale Acct. New Inventions 123 This last Angle is made for the Ships ease of falling into the Sea, as the two first were for its easier passing through it.
18.
a. intransitive. Of a person, animal, or part of the body: to become thin or lean, esp. as a result of illness or old age; spec. (of the cheeks, etc.) to become sunken in appearance. In early use also more fully †to fall in (also out of) flesh. Now only in to fall away 5b at Phrasal verbs 1, to fall in 8a at Phrasal verbs 1.In quot. ?1528: (of the flesh) to waste away.In later use usually in the perfect (to have fallen or to be fallen); cf. fallen adj. 5.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > bodily shape or physique > slim shape or physique > slim [verb (intransitive)] > shrink
to fall away1527
fall?1528
to fall in1607
lanka1616
pitch1751
fine1873
?1528 Christmas Carols sig. A.iiv My blode coleth my fleshe doth fall I am athryst after drynke I call.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 544/2 I fall out of flessche by reason of sycknesse.
a1592 R. Greene Orpharion (1599) 36 My head is giddy, mine eyes dazell, fallen are my cheekes.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry V (1623) v. ii. 160 A good Legge will fall . View more context for this quotation
a1661 T. Fuller Worthies (1662) Staff. 38 The Cattle..will fall in their flesh, if removed to any other Pasture.
1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory ii. vii. 155/1 The tenth year the Temples [of a horse] fall and begin to be hollow.
1745 J. Swift Direct. to Servants 67 The Cattle are weak, and fallen in their Flesh with hard riding.
1822 Mirror of Lit. 30 Nov. 69/2 See how I'm fall'n in the waist! Five inches round about!
1880 T. Watts Woodland Echoes 112 I'm wae tae see ye look sae lean... Hech! man, but ye've fa'en sair o' late.
1886 A. J. Church Stories of Magicians ix. 72 His raven black hair was rusted with sun and rain, and his cheeks had fallen.
b. intransitive. Of something swollen or inflated, esp. on the body: to reduce in size, go down.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > recovery > process of healing of an injury, etc. > of injury, etc.: heal [verb (intransitive)] > of swelling: go down
unbolnea1425
vail?c1450
fall1565
flat1670
detumefy1684
1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus at Desido The swellyng falleth or asswageth.
?1574 T. Hill Contempl. Myst. f. 67v Which at the last finding issue to passe causeth the earth swelled vp, to fal and settle agayne in the proper place.
1612 tr. J. Guillemeau Child-birth i. iv. 16 Their breasts which were swollen at the beginning, doe fall, and dayly wax soft, limber, and lanke, and without milke.
1665 R. Hooke Micrographia 39 You shall find the parts of the upper Surface to subside and fall inwards.
1709 W. Vickers Brief Acct. Specifick Remedy King's Evil 10 I..can easily tell..at what Seasons their Swellings will rise or fall; when they will break.
1823 J. Badcock Domest. Amusem. 186 If blisters do not fall, lay cloths over them steeped in vinegar.
1906 Chicago Clinic Apr. 138 The glands decreased to their normal size And the scrofulous swellings fell.
2006 P. Tawrell Camping & Wilderness Survival (ed. 2) xlix. 986/2 Wrap the sprained area with an elastic bandage when the swelling has fallen.
†c. intransitive. Of something sharp: to be worn down. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > condition of matter > bad condition of matter > deteriorate in condition [verb (intransitive)] > waste away > wear > be worn down
fall1708
1708 London Gaz. No. 4499/4 One..rough Stone weighing about 21 Carrats, a Point something fallen.
d. intransitive. Of tobacco leaves: to wilt after cutting. Now rare.
ΚΠ
1841 Farmers' Reg. May 258/2 After it is cut, it must lie long enough to fall or wilt, so as to become sufficiently pliant to handle without breaking or bruising the leaves.
1850 Ann. Rep. Commissioner Patents 1849: Agric. 320 in U.S. Congress. Serial Set (31st Congr., 1st Sess.: House of Representatives Executive Doc. 20, Pt. 2) VI Let it [sc. tobacco] lay on the ground for a short time to ‘fall’ or wilt.
1954 Southern Maryland—Tobacco Econ. (Univ. Maryland Bureau Business & Econ. Res.) 28 Farmers at present over-estimate the necessity of letting tobacco ‘fall’ or wilt in the field before spearing.
e. intransitive. Tanning. Of a skin: to become soft and pliable. Now rare.
ΚΠ
1885 H. R. Procter Text-bk. Tanning xxi. 226 The bate must be used tepid, and not too strong. The skins ‘fall’ (lose their plumpness) in it rapidly, and become extremely soft and fine to the touch.
1911 Jrnl. Amer. Leather Chemists Assoc. 6 371 The latter [bate] is ‘sharp’ in its action, causing the hide to ‘fall’ quickly and become smooth.
2011 Leather Processing & Tanning Technol. Handbk. (new ed.) xxiv. 395 In the puer the skins fall rapidly and become extremely soft and fine to the touch.
19. intransitive. Esp. of land: to slope or incline downwards. Frequently with to, into, or towards. Cf. to fall away 6 at Phrasal verbs 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > inclination > incline or be oblique [verb (intransitive)] > slope > downwards
descendc1400
declinec1420
fall1573
cope1601
devall1632
dip1665
drip1678
siddle1894
the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > slope > [verb (intransitive)] > slope downwards
fall1573
to fall away1607
sink1630
lower1734
delve1848
to ease off1880
1573 T. Tusser Fiue Hundreth Points Good Husbandry (new ed.) f. 43 Land falling..South or southwest, for profite by tillage, is lightly the best.
1638 T. Herbert Some Yeares Trav. (rev. ed.) 31 Parts [of the earth] falling into fruitfull dales.
1694 Narbrough's Acct. Several Late Voy. 62 The North-shore of this Narrow or Streight, rounds up..in white Cliffs, and falls into shores.
1785 H. Swinburne Trav. in Two Sicilies II. xxxiv. 243 The eastern hill..falls with a rapid slope towards the sea.
1810 W. Marriott Antiq. of Lyme 225 Its extremity is a steep head of brow, falling into the mouth of the last trench.
1862 Temple Bar 4 428 The high ground of the plateau falls towards this narrow strait.
1915 E. W. Barlow tr. A. Berget Earth iii. 73 Their summits are 6000 and 7000 metres..high, and the ridge falls sharply to the Pacific.
1983 J. S. Foster Structure & Fabric (rev. ed.) I. iii. 166/2 The slope or fall of the roof..may be obtained by laying the joists to fall in the required direction.
2005 J. Medlicott Three Mrs. Parkers (2007) xii. 72 The land undulated, rising to heights that afforded great views of distant mountains and falling into valleys and gullies.
** Figurative and abstract senses.
20.
a. intransitive. Of an emotion or personal quality (as anger, fear, courage, etc.): to abate, become less intense; (also, esp. in early use) to vanish entirely.See also to fall away 4a at Phrasal verbs 1, to fall from —— 1 at Phrasal verbs 2.
ΚΠ
OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 2nd Ser. (Cambr. Gg.3.28) xxxix. 328 Seo soðe lufu næfre ne fylð [L. cadit].
c1275 (?c1250) Owl & Nightingale (Calig.) (1935) l. 514 For wane he haueþ ido his dede Ifallen is al his boldhede.
a1325 in C. Brown Eng. Lyrics 13th Cent. (1932) 91 [When] he ros þan fel þi sorwe.
a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1882) iv. l. 469 Er thow so lightly do my wo to falle.
a1500 (?c1414) Paraphr. Seven Penitential Psalms 15 (MED) Now fadyth and fallyth all my pryde.
1615 T. Tomkis Albumazar iii. ii. sig. F2 Fye sir, your passion fall's, cry louder, roare That all the Streete may heare.
1632 P. Massinger & N. Field Fatall Dowry iii. sig. H Fall and coole (my blood) Boyle not in zeale.
1648 Verses in Honour of Iudge Ienkin 6 His Chyrograph (as on Belshazers wall) Will (on a sudden) make your courage fall.
a1721 J. Sheffield Death Marcus Brutus Prol. in Wks. (1723) I. 332 Soon will your Eyes grow dry, and Passion fall; When ye reflect 'tis all but Conjugall.
1794 R. Lee Flowers from Sharon 124 My Courage fell, my Thought-sick Mind Indulged a melancholy Mood.
1828 W. Scott Fair Maid of Perth xi. in Chron. Canongate 2nd Ser. II. 306 His courage fell, and he gave symptoms of wavering.
1919 F. W. Huard Lilies, White & Red v. 77 Suddenly his excitement fell and his brow clouded.
1950 Washington Post 24 Feb. 22/2 A constant inward and outward movement was enforced upon the people as fears fell and then rose again.
2004 L. M. Schwartz tr. G. Sand Private Secretary xiii. 91 All his anger fell and..he began to cry.
b. intransitive. Of a person's mood or spirits: to become less cheerful or hopeful; to sink. Of hopes: to diminish, fade.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > dejection > be or become dejected [verb (intransitive)]
heavyOE
fallOE
droopena1225
lourc1290
droopc1330
to abate one's countenance (also cheer)a1350
dullc1374
fainta1375
languora1375
languisha1382
afflicta1393
gloppen?a1400
weary1434
appalc1450
to have one's heart in one's boots (also shoes, heels, hose, etc.)c1450
peak1580
dumpc1585
mopea1592
sink1603
bate1607
deject1644
despond1655
alamort?1705
sadden1718
dismal1780
munge1790
mug1828
to get one's tail down1853
to have (also get) the pip1881
shadow1888
to have (one's) ass in a sling1960
OE Hymns (Julius A.vi) xxv. 4 in H. Gneuss Hymnar u. Hymnen im englischen Mittelalter (1968) 292 Ut ne concidat elisa mens, ne corruat elata mens : þæt ne fealle forscrenct mod ne ne hreose upahafen mod.
a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 287 (MED) Whanne þe spiritis falliþ, þan a mannes vertues failen.
1547 J. Hooper Declar. Christe vii. sig. Fiiij Faythe lettithe fall all hope and confidence in the merites of souche uertewes as be in man.
1655 O. Stockton Diary 8 Oct. in J. Fairfax Πρεσβύτερος Διπλῆς Τιμῆς Ἄξιος (1681) 107 My Spirit fell, and my faith flagg'd, and I could not look upon God with any boldness.
1705 J. Addison Remarks Italy Ded. sig. A2 Their Hopes..rose or fell with Your Lordship's Interest.
1819 A. Reed No Fiction II. xxx. 260 His hopes fell. It was only a reproach for his conduct.
1879 H. H. Boyesen Falconberg i. 18 Einar, seeing no escape from his dismal dilemma, felt his own spirits falling.
1901 Baptist Missionary Mag. Dec. 715/1 Our hope is full..but it ebbs and falls as the debt increases and the revival spirit wanes in the home land.
1989 A. Stevenson Bitter Fame iv. 69 Inevitably her spirits fell as the winter grew colder.
2003 N. Bowker New Horse Handbk. 13 After another hour ticked by, my hopes were falling.
c. intransitive. Of the wind, a storm, etc.: to decrease in force, become less intense; to abate.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > weather > fine weather > [verb (intransitive)] > become calm (of weather or the elements)
calm1399
falla1400
lown?a1600
to fall calm1601
serenify1612
subside1680
lin1693
flat1748
flatten1748
lull1808
to go down1873
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 24942 Þe storm it fell.
1539 R. Taverner tr. W. Capito Epitome of Psalmes (new ed.) ii. sig. E.vii At thyn almyghty word the waues couched, the wyndes fel, the storme was sodenly tourned into a great calme.
1567 A. Golding tr. Ovid Metamorphosis (new ed.) xiii. f. 164v Till the hideous stormes did cease, and furious wynds were falne.
1752 G. Washington Jrnl. (1892) 73 Ye Wind was fallen.
1823 W. Scoresby Jrnl. Voy. Northern Whale-fishery 67 The wind falling, and veering to the westward.
1872 W. D. Howells Their Wedding Journey 5 The storm fell before seven o'clock.
1908 W. Churchill Mr. Crewe's Career xxix. 482 The wind had fallen; the sun..poured the golden light of autumn over field and forest.
2009 L. Thompson tr. H. Mankell Ital. Shoes iii. 17 Just as I..was about to return to the house, the wind fell momentarily.
†d. intransitive. Of the pulse: to grow weaker. Obsolete. rare.
ΚΠ
a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 212 If he be feble..& his pous falle [L. cadit].
e. intransitive. Of the colour in a person's face: to grow pale as a result of illness, fear, anger, etc. Also sometimes more generally: (of a colour) to fade. Cf. rise v. 23e.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > skin > complexion > paleness > [verb (intransitive)] > become or turn pale
blakea1225
fallowa1250
blokec1275
bloknec1315
bleykec1327
blikena1400
falla1450
to paint pale (also white)a1529
blemish1530
appale1534
to turn (one's) colour1548
wan1582
bleak1605
whiten1775
blench1813
etiolate1882
a1450 ( G. Chaucer Bk. Duchess (Tanner 346) (1871) l. 564 Þat makiþ my hwe to fal and fade.
1646 N. Lockyer Eng. faithfully watcht With 78 Our colour is fallen strangely of a sudden: what a deal of bloud and life had we to stand for the honour of our birth-right, a little while since! and what's now become of it?
1656 Duchess of Newcastle Natures Pictures ix. 283 Fear and bashfulness made her Colour to rise and fall.
1794 E. Gunning Lord Fitzhenry II. 239 The rose which has been..buffeted by many a storm,..when its colour falls, when its leaves droop.
1841 E. Bulwer-Lytton Night & Morning II. iii. xiii. 251 Her colour fell—tears gushed to her eyes.
1880 G. A. Townsend Bohemian Days 113 Her color fell a little at this, for she had no love for the needle.
1918 Sat. Evening Post 28 Dec. 10/3 Suddenly her mouth tightened and her color fell.
2001 M. Wynne No Other Option 13 The color rose and then fell in the young man's face.
21. intransitive. Of a person's face or facial expression: to become less animated; to show dismay or disappointment by appearing to droop.In early use also with down or downward.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > disappointment > be disappointed [verb (intransitive)] > of face: look disappointed
falla1382
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > appearance or aspect > have (specific) appearance [verb (intransitive)] > have specific facial appearance or expression > change expression > specific
falla1382
lighten1749
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1959) Gen. iv. 5 Caym was gretli wroth: & þer with fell [a1425 L.V. felde doun; L. concidit] his chere.
a1450 Generides (Pierpont Morgan) (1865) l.1882 (MED) Downward his chere lete he falle.
1532 R. Whitford Pype or Tonne xvi. f. ccxviii Why arte thou wrothe? why dothe thy chere fall, and thy countenaunce feyle the?
1611 Bible (King James) Gen. iv. 5 Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell . View more context for this quotation
1718 Mem. Life J. Kettlewell i. ii. 13 As soon as he heard the Sound of Drum or Trumpet, his Countenance did always fall.
1793 W. Belsham Mem. Kings II. 201 Touching upon the subsidies,..Mr. Pelham's face fell, and he grew very uneasy upon it.
1816 W. Scott Antiquary I. vii. 159 The countenance of the old man fell.
1888 ‘Q’ Astonishing Hist. Troy Town viii. 81 Caleb's face fell a full inch.
1907 Our Paper 20 Apr. 183/3 Her eagerly expectant visage fell visibly.
1969 Illustr. London News 24 Mar. 22/3 Their faces fell when the [Berlin] wall was mentioned.
2005 N.Y. Times Mag. 13 Feb. 38/1 When Janis tells him the price of her services, his face falls.
22.
a. intransitive. Of the voice, a sound, a musical note, etc.: to decrease in pitch or volume; to become lower or quieter. Cf. rise v. 23b.In early use also of a singer: †to decrease the height of his or her vocal pitch (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > pitch > [verb (intransitive)] > fall
falla1450
undecline1651
a1450 Musical Treat. in Speculum (1935) 10 258 And with þese acordis of descaunt, euery descanter may ryse in voyse & falle with þe plain-song.
1534 W. Turner tr. J. von Watt Of Olde God & Newe sig. M.iii They do let their voice fall so lowe, that thou woldeste wene, yt they dyd wepe.
1597 T. Morley Plaine & Easie Introd. Musicke 71 If the base rise or fall, you must not rise and fall iust as manie notes as your base did.
1657 W. Davenant First Days Entertainm. Rutland-House Prol. sig. A5v When you perceive their voices fall with fear, (As not accustom'd to the Publike-Ear) [etc.].
1706 A. Bedford Temple Musick ix. 177 Teaching them first to rise, or fall Six or Eight Notes.
1783 J. Beattie Diss. Moral & Crit. 296 Towards the end of the sentence an Englishman lets his voice fall, an Irishman raises his, and a Scotchman makes his voice first fall and then rise.
1833 Parl. Rev. 2 487 Some of his sentences were commenced in a clear and distinct tone, but almost invariably his voice fell before the conclusion, and the latter part was lost.
1848 Musical World 9 Dec. 794/1 A succession of lower sounds following upon higher ones will make the melody fall or move downwards.
1914 C. H. Kitson Evol. Harmony v. 53 Roots rising or falling a fourth or fifth are nearly always good in effect.
1998 D. Danvers Circuit of Heaven 310 His voice had fallen to a whisper.
2007 G. Tsukiyama Street of Thousand Blossoms 98 The change had taken place the year before, when his voice suddenly fell an octave.
†b. transitive. To lower (the voice) in pitch or volume. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > quality of voice > impart specific tone or quality [verb (transitive)] > lower voice
underputa1382
fall1626
sink1646
to lower one's voicea1713
1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §105 To raise or fall his Voice still by Half-Notes.
1670 Life & Death of Ralph Wallis 33 When they pray for the King, they fall their voice as though they were afraid their Prayers should reach Heaven.
1748 J. Mason Ess. Elocution 27 Emphasis is raising the Voice, Cadence is falling it.
1772 Short & Easy Introd. to Psalmody 17 He is to raise or fall his voice as the notes rise or fall.
1846 Ecclesiastic 1 273 He keeps to the monotone indeed, except perhaps raising or falling his voice a quarter tone, or at most a semitone.
1847 Era 28 Nov. 11/1 He..drew the words, as it were, from his mouth, with great uniformity and perseverance, raising and falling his voice in a manner peculiarly his own.
23.
a. intransitive. Of a price, rent, etc.: to decrease in amount. Also in figurative contexts.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > decrease or reduction in quantity, amount, or degree > decrease in quantity, amount, or degree [verb (intransitive)]
littleOE
setc1000
wanzec1175
lessc1225
allayc1275
wane1297
slaken1303
disincreasec1374
slakec1380
decrease1382
debatea1400
unwaxa1400
wastea1400
adminishc1400
lessenc1400
imminish14..
aslakec1405
minish?a1425
assuagec1430
shrinkc1449
to let down1486
decay1489
diminish1520
fall1523
rebate1540
batea1542
to come down1548
abate1560
stoop1572
pine1580
slack1580
scanten1585
shrivel1588
decrew1596
remit1629
contract1648
subside1680
lower1697
relax1701
drop1730
to take off1776
to run down1792
reduce1798
recede1810
to run off1816
to go down1823
attenuatea1834
ease1876
downscale1945
1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Surueyeng xix. f. xxxv The rent nedeth nat to be spoken of but at his plesure, for it maye ryse and fall.
1550 W. Harrys tr. Market or Fayre of Vsurers sig. I.v The price of that wares dyd fall.
1647 A. Cowley Mistresse 37 Let no man know The Price of Beauty faln so low!
a1687 W. Petty Polit. Arithm. (1690) Pref. sig. av The Rents of Land are generally fall'n.
1776 A. Smith Inq. Wealth of Nations I. i. v. 52 The price of gold bullion has fallen below the mint price. View more context for this quotation
1790 W. Short Let. 4 Aug. in T. Jefferson Papers (1965) XVII. 317 House rent..has much fallen so that you will inevitably lose something.
1848 J. S. Mill Princ. Polit. Econ. I. ii. xii. 433 Wages may fall below starvation point.
1861 Amer. Agriculturist July 204/1 The price has fallen every year.
1934 P. F. Douglass Econ. Independence Poland v. 87 The wages of workers fall in proportion to the diminished remunerativeness of business.
1992 Economist 11 Apr. 102/1 Banks' property loans are souring, most rents are still falling.
2015 New Yorker 29 June 32/2 The price should continue to fall, as it has for cell phones.
b. intransitive. Of a commodity, currency, share, etc.: to become cheaper or less valuable; to diminish in value, depreciate.In quot. 1677: transitive (of land) to become worth less (rent).
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > monetary value > [verb (intransitive)] > fall in value
fall?1532
depreciatea1790
soften1838
society > trade and finance > monetary value > price > fluctuation in price > [verb (intransitive)] > decline in price or fall
fall?1532
to come down1832
settle1868
sag1870
recede1883
shorten1884
ease1900
society > trade and finance > monetary value > be valued at [verb (transitive)] > diminish value of > become worth less (rent)
fall1677
?1532 Assise of Bread & Ale sig. A.iij The quarter of malte ryseth or falleth .xii.d. in the price.
1592 A. Day 2nd Pt. Eng. Secretorie sig. K2, in Eng. Secretorie (rev. ed.) Wools are as yet at high rate, but I thinke shortly they will fall.
1608 Bp. J. Hall Characters Vertues & Vices ii. 131 The Covetous..would dispatch himselfe when corne falles.
1677 A. Yarranton England's Improvem. 149 Their Lands fall Rents.
1707 C. Cibber Double Gallant (ed. 2) v. 79 May all the Bank-stocks fall when I have bought 'em.
1713 J. Swift Jrnl. to Stella 6 Feb. (1948) II. 615 My Livings are fallen much this Year.
1801 H. C. Robinson Diary 20 Oct. (1869) I. v. 68 Wheat has fallen in our market from 92s to 30s the coomb.
1812 G. Chalmers Hist. View Domest. Econ. Great Brit. & Ireland 466 The exchange fell below par.
1894 Speaker 19 May 574/2 The rupee is falling, trade is stagnant, everyone of all classes is dissatisfied.
1913 Financial World 16 Aug. 8/1 The shares started to fall and did not stop until 50 points had been clipped off the price.
1987 J. Hodgins Honorary Patron (1989) iii. 102 The dollar had fallen again; interest rates were steady.
2016 Sc. Sun (Nexis) 10 Feb. 39 Last month Brent crude oil fell to $27.67 a barrel.
†c. transitive. To decrease (a price or value); to reduce the price of (a commodity) or the value of (a currency). Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > monetary value > be valued at [verb (transitive)] > diminish value of
fall1564
embase1577
to pull down1607
impoverish1611
depreciate1656
to let down1870
slip1961
society > trade and finance > stocks and shares > deal in stocks and shares [verb (transitive)] > influence the market > depress the market
fall1564
bear1840
hammer1865
bang1884
flatten1891
pound1895
society > trade and finance > monetary value > price > fluctuation in price > [verb (transitive)] > lower (price)
weaken1530
mitigate1542
abase1551
fall1564
to beat the price1591
to bring down1600
to fetch down1841
degrade1844
to roll back1942
society > trade and finance > management of money > expenditure > financial loss > lose money [verb (transitive)] > subject to financial loss
tinsel1475
scathec1485
fall1564
damnify1654
unrevenue1673
worsen1862
1564 Memorandum in R. H. Tawney & E. Power Tudor Econ. Documents (1951) III. iii. iv. 352 The Bankeres..maye by their Consperrasye fall the price of the Exchange..to their Convenyente gayne.
c1580 in Eng. Hist. Rev. July (1914) 524 He may rise or fall his price accordinglye.
a1626 F. Bacon Cases of Treason (1641) xvi. 20 The King may alter the valuations of his coyne, and raise and fall moneys at his pleasure.
1692 J. Locke Some Considerations Lowering Interest 17 You fall the Price of your Native Commodities.
1717 I. Newton Let. 21 Sept. in Corr. (1976) VI. 416 In raising or falling their money, their king's Edicts have sometimes varied a little.
1722 Coll. Misc. Lett. Mist's Weekly Jrnl. II. 41 The turning of Money in Stocks; and raising and falling the Market.
1790 E. Burke Refl. Revol. in France 282 He falls the value of his land, and raises the value of assignats. View more context for this quotation
1820 Edward or Pursuit of Happiness viii. 114 The youth..took advantage of this accident to fall his price above twenty per cent. as the security was so suddenly improved.
1849 J. P. De Gex & J. Smale Rep. High Court Chancery 1 195 In raising or falling the lock dues payable to the said proprietors.
d. intransitive. More generally, of anything that can be measured or quantified: to become lower; to decrease in amount.References to temperature falling were perhaps originally regarded as extended uses of sense 15b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > coldness > be cold [verb (intransitive)] > become cold > of temperature: be reduced
fall1691
1691 E. Taylor J. Behmen's Theosophick Philos. 104 By the cool of the Day, is understood the time when Adam's Eternal Day was grown cool (that is) his Temperature was faln to Extremities of heat and cold.
1778 P. D. Leslie Philos. Inq. Cause Animal Heat 54 The circulation hath no sooner taken place, than the temperature falls, or rises.
1855 Assoc. Med. Jrnl. 3 81/1 Under the internal use of the oil, the weight fell from 105 to 97 lbs.
1890 Chambers's Jrnl. 10 May 303/1 The number of work-people employed ashore has fallen from four thousand to one thousand.
1934 Planning 1 xxvii. 5 The death-rate like the birth-rate, has fallen fast in recent years.
1959 Times 8 Dec. 12/2 Winter has struck Poland suddenly, temperatures falling overnight from several degrees above freezing point to minus 13deg. Fahrenheit.
1987 W. Greider Secrets of Temple i. iii. 88 Unemployment fell below 5 percent.
2001 W. Ferguson Happiness (2003) xxviii. 157 Even as the country was plunged into economic uncertainty..street crime began to fall.
24.
a. intransitive. Of an argument, topic, course of action, etc.: to be pursued no further. Usually with let: see let v.1 22c. Cf. drop v. 6.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > ceasing > cease activity [verb (intransitive)] > specifically of things, actions, or processes
restOE
leathc1275
stintc1275
slakea1300
ceasec1374
slocka1400
batec1400
lissec1400
stanchc1420
surcease1439
remain1480
stopa1529
break1530
decease1538
falla1555
to shut up1609
subside1654
drop1697
low1790
to go out1850
a1555 R. Glover in M. Coverdale Certain Lett. Martyrs (1564) 533 When they had let their sute fall, my harte..was wonderfullye comforted.
1580 T. Lupton Siuqila 119 The poore with vs, for wante of money, either dare not beginne the lawe, or else of force are driuen to let their matter fall after they haue begonne the lawe.
1594 O. B. Questions Profitable Concernings 31 b It seemed better vnto him to let fall his reuenge.
1622 J. Mabbe tr. M. Alemán Rogue ii. 108 I was afterwards going about my businesse, that my sute might not fall.
1672 J. Dryden Of Heroique Playes in Conquest Granada sig. A2v I am willing to let fall this argument.
1705 Petition Ministers Gen. Assembly Edinb. 8 Others..thought it not the Work of a Synod..to make Acts of so National a Concern: Wherefore the Committee let the Matter fall.
1823 Christian Remembrancer Nov. 656/1 After they had got the bill to pass against the bishops sitting in parliament, they let the accusation fall, without ever drawing it into a formal impeachment.
1896 V. O'Sullivan Bk. Bargains vii. 158 Hilda, who took her morals from him, let the topic fall.
2001 Herald (Glasgow) (Nexis) 12 Dec. 34 [They] have little faith in the system..and will let the matter fall for that reason.
†b. transitive. To refrain from pursuing, or be no longer able to pursue (a matter). Apparently only in to fall one's suit (cf. suit n. 4). Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > ceasing > cease from (an action or operation) [verb (transitive)] > cease from thinking or talking about > pursue a matter no further
fall1630
the world > action or operation > inaction > not doing > abstaining or refraining from action > abstain or refrain from (action) [verb (transitive)] > pursue (a matter) no further
to leave (a person or thing) alone (also one)a1475
forbear1570
to let fall1594
fall1630
waive1681
withdraw1781
to leave it at that1861
1630 R. Brathwait Eng. Gentleman 147 The poore sheepe..loseth his whole fleece in the Citie; consumeth what he hath, spendeth his time, loseth his hope, and falleth his suit, be it never so good and honest.
1640 R. Brome Antipodes sig. G3v Before he has given her satisfaction, I may not fall my suit.
III. To come down or over from an upright position.
* Concrete and related senses.
25.
a. intransitive. To come down or over from an upright position, typically suddenly and unintentionally; esp. (of a person or animal) to lose balance and stumble or collapse; (of an upright object such as a tree) to topple over. Frequently with complement, as to the ground, prostrate, backwards, etc.See also to fall down 2a at Phrasal verbs 1, to fall over 1a at Phrasal verbs 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > falling > fall [verb (intransitive)] > fall down or from erect position
fallOE
to fall downc1175
torple?c1225
glidec1275
overthrowc1330
downfallc1350
swaya1400
reversea1470
twine1600
to go down1697
OE Blickling Homilies 223 Ða feol he færinga onbæcling, & nahte his lichoman geweald.
OE Ælfric Lives of Saints (Julius) (1900) II. 126 Sum man feoll on ise þæt his earm tobærst.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 13996 Walwain gon to ualle and feol a þere eorðe.
c1300 St. Wulstan (Laud) l. 37 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 71 Dounward he ful, ase he mis-stap.
a1350 in K. Böddeker Altengl. Dichtungen (1878) 262 (MED) Þe abbot for duel falleþ to grounde, & þer he liþ a longe stounde.
c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) l. 5203 (MED) Sche..hadde þan y-falle in sowenyng.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 11760 Al þair idels..fel vnto þe grund.
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 846 He stumbils..& fallis.
a1500 in F. J. Furnivall Hymns to Virgin & Christ (1867) 127 (MED) And swonynge schee fylle.
1556 tr. J. de Flores Histoire de Aurelio & Isabelle sig. L6 The extreme sorrowe..made her fall as almoste dede to the earthe.
1597 W. Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet iv. ii. 20 I..am enioynd..to fall prostrate here, And craue remission. View more context for this quotation
1652 C. B. Stapylton tr. Herodian Imperiall Hist. i. 6 But swooning ripe he backward fell in bed.
1671 R. Bohun Disc. Wind 153 Trees, and sturdy Oaks..fell in this Tempest.
1761 F. Sheridan Mem. Miss Sidney Bidulph II. 353 The Major, reeling a few steps, fell against one of the pillars of the bed.
1796 R. M. Roche Children of Abbey IV. v. 115 Amanda's head grew giddy,..and she would have fallen to the ground, had not Mrs. Rushbrook..timely caught her.
1841 C. Dickens Barnaby Rudge vi. 269 Starting aside I slipped and fell.
1887 D. C. Murray & H. Herman One Traveller Returns vi. 91 He fell back in his chair and lay lax with closed eyes.
1942 Washington Post 1 June 18/3 Scocca's horse tripped and fell, throwing him into hoofs pounding like pistons.
1968 Islander (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) 15 Dec. 2/1 We cried ‘timber’ as our tree fell.
2007 E. Docx Self Help (2008) 336 He slipped, falling awkwardly on his side, twisting his knee and scraping his hand.
b. intransitive. Esp. of feathers or leaves: to bend downwards, to droop. Also in figurative contexts.to let fall one's crest: see crest n.1 1b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > move downwards [verb (intransitive)] > droop
falla1398
droopa1400
faint1820
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. xii. xxxii. 638 He [sc. þe pecok] lokeþ to his feet and seeþ þe foulnesse of his feet and is as þey he were aschamed, and letiþ his feþires falle sodeyneliche and alle þe tayle donward [L. deprimit et submittit].
1481 W. Caxton tr. Myrrour of Worlde ii. xvi. sig. g6v Whan he beholdeth toward his feet, whiche ben fowl to loke on, thenne he leteth his tayll falle wenyng to couer his feet.
1560 Bp. J. Pilkington Aggeus the Prophete (new issue) sig. N.iiii It woulde make our proude peacockes feathers to fall.
1592 A. Day 2nd Pt. Eng. Secretorie sig. H3, in Eng. Secretorie (rev. ed.) The Peacocke..stooping downe to his feete, his feathers fall with the selfe sight immediately.
1634 tr. S. Luzvic & E. Binet Devout Hart 228 The lyons creast would fal, the enemy be forced to turne his back.
1665 R. Hooke Micrographia 118 The tender Sprouts of it, after the leaves are shut, fall and hang down.
1700 W. Burkitt Expos. Notes Four Holy Evangelists (Mark xiv.) sig. Ll2v/2 Did not Judas..Blush extreamly, cast down his guilty Eyes, and let fall his drooping Head at so galling an intimation?
?1826 W. Hall Vindic. Chorley Spinners 2 All his assurance, all his confidence, utterly forsook him; his crest fell.
1847 Paddiana I. 267 ‘He is not the kind of dog I want.’ (His tail fell; he saw the unfavourable expression.)
1907 ‘N. Blanchan’ Birds Every Child should Know vi. 83 The pointed crest..rises and falls to express every passing emotion.
1982 W. Smith Angels Weep 479 The reeds had wilted and fallen, no longer providing cover.
2009 S. Goddard Mozipedia 488/2 As soon as we hit the first note it was just people constantly diving on stage, leads constantly being pulled out, amps wobbling, me quiff falling.
26. With reference to intentional action.
a. intransitive. To prostrate oneself or sink to one's knees, esp. in reverence, gratitude, or submission. With complement, as before, at, †to, †under (a person or thing, a person's feet, etc.), on one's face, on one's knees, etc. Also in figurative contexts.In early use also with indirect object expressing the revered person or thing.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > other practices > carry out other practices [verb (intransitive)] > kneel, bow, or prostrate oneself
kneel?a1000
fallOE
kneec1000
prostratea1425
genuflect1850
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > respect > reverence > revere [verb (intransitive)] > show reverence > prostrate oneself in reverence
fallOE
prostratea1425
shikho1858
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > respect > reverence > revere [verb (transitive)] > show reverence to > fall at (a person's feet)
fallOE
OE Blickling Homilies 27 Þas ealle ic þe sylle, gif þu feallest to me & me weorþast.
OE West Saxon Gospels: Luke (Corpus Cambr.) xvii. 16 Þa cyrde he mid mycelre stefne God mærsiende, & feoll to hys fotum, & him þancode.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 6346 Þe ærchebiscop feol [c1300 Otho fulle] to þes kinges fot.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 2272 Al ðo briðere..Fellen bi-forn ðat louerd is fot.
c1350 Apocalypse St. John: A Version (Harl. 874) (1961) 40 Þe foure & twenty grete fellen bifore þe Lombe..And hij songen..‘Lorde god þou art worþi.’
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 25646 Thre kinges com of thrin land, To fal þi suete sun til hand, and gaf him gift.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 12475 Honurand him he fel him vnder.
c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Man of Law's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 1006 Whan she say hir fader..She..falleth hym to feete.
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 815 Lordis & othire, Come to þat conquerour & on knese fallis.
1548 T. Cranmer Catechismus sig. F.iiv We humblye fall on our knees before them.
1565 J. Calfhill Aunswere Treat. Crosse f. 186v Men falling before a piece of wood, knocking the breast, and holding vp the handes, may not in any wise be thought Idolatrers.
1611 Bible (King James) Rev. xix. 10 I fell at his feete to worship him. View more context for this quotation
1612 Bp. J. Hall Contempl. I. ii. vi. 246 Their Gouernours fall on their faces to God.
1653 H. Cogan tr. F. M. Pinto Voy. & Adventures iii. 6 We fell on our knees before her.
1766 D. Hume Let. 2 Dec. (1932) II. 115 If he has the least remains of a sentiment of honour, he must fall on his face before me, upon the perusal of this letter.
1767 Hist. Eliza I. 83 The happy youth was ready to fall at her feet, to thank her.
1852 H. B. Stowe Uncle Tom's Cabin II. xxvii. 121 ‘I'm sure of it,’ said Tom, falling on his knees.
1888 Mrs. H. Ward Robert Elsmere II. ii. xviii. 107 Oh, to fall at her feet, and ask her pardon before parting for ever!
1919 Literary Digest 15 Feb. 48/1 I removed the icon from my neck and fell before it on my knees.
1986 Auckland Metro Feb. 159/1 We end up with a wine industry producing a distinctive product for which the world will fall at our feet.
2016 T. Rebeck I'm Glad about You 281 His failure to fall to his knees and beg her for forgiveness.
b. intransitive. To cast oneself on or upon the point of a sword or other sharp weapon, in order to kill oneself. Now frequently figurative in to fall on one's sword at Phrases 1l.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > injury > injure [verb (transitive)] > wound > pierce > impale or transfix
fallOE
through-smitec1300
staira1400
through-beara1400
stake1577
OE Ælfric Homily (Corpus Cambr. 178) in J. C. Pope Homilies of Ælfric (1968) II. 795 He sylf [sc. Saul] þa feoll uppon his wæpne and gewat swa of life.
lOE St. Margaret (Corpus Cambr.) (1994) 170 Seo eadiga fæmne Margareta hire sawle Gode agef and Malcus on hire swiðran uppan his swurda feol.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1963) 1 Kings xxxi. 5 Whan his squyer hadde seen..þat Saul was dead: also he fel on his swerd.
a1425 (a1382) Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Corpus Oxf.) (1850) 1 Kings xxxi. 4 So Saul cawȝte his swerd & fel vp on it [a1425 L.V. felde theronne; L. inruit super eum].
1578 J. Rolland Seuin Seages 213 To be schamit & callit ane Empreours wife I sall rather my self fall on my knife.
1611 Bible (King James) 1 Sam. xxxi. 4 Therfore Saul tooke a sword, and fell upon it. View more context for this quotation
1668 D. Lloyd Dying & Dead Mens Living Words 100 He drooped, & retired to fall upon his own sword, that he might not fall by the Enemies.
1770 tr. A. R. Le Sage Devil upon Two Sticks II. iii. 19 One of them is swallowing a glass of poison, the second falls upon his sword.
1830 Wesleyan-Methodist Mag. Feb. 91 The tyrant, resigning his captives,..falls on his own dart, and dies.
1883 O. Wilde Duchess of Padua ii. 53 Thus tonight..will I fall upon my dagger, and so cease.
1948 Scotsman 26 June 4/6 The hero..is so overcome by shame and mortification that he falls on his own sword.
2011 Guardian (Nexis) 28 Sept. 42 Both..commit suicide—she by drowning, he by falling on his sword.
27. intransitive. With into, †on, †in. To stumble into a pit, hole, or the like; to be caught in a trap or snare. Also in extended use and in figurative contexts; spec. to be drawn into an ambush.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > occurrence > [verb (intransitive)] > be drawn, forced, or stumble into
fallOE
OE West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) xvii. 15 Oft he fylþ on fyr & gelomlice on wæter.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 11857 To fallenn inn till helle pitt.
a1225 (c1200) Vices & Virtues (1888) 109 Hie falleð mid ða blinde in to ðan pette.
a1325 (c1280) Southern Passion (Pepys 2344) (1927) l. 520 (MED) Þat we ne ffalle in þe deueles gar.
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. xii. xxxi. 638 He[o] [sc. þe partrich] fleeþ aboute..and falliþ into þe nette.
a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Romaunt Rose (Hunterian) (1891) l. 6648 If ye fillen in her laas.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VI f. cxlij A man entending to auoide the smoke, falleth into the fyre.
1585 J. B. tr. P. Viret School of Beastes: Good Housholder sig. Cij To make them to fall into their nettes.
1611 Bible (King James) Acts xxvii. 17 They..fearing lest they should fall into the quickesands, strake saile. View more context for this quotation
1694 F. Bragge Pract. Disc. Parables xiv. 477 He perceives not the dangers under his feet till he falls into them.
?1749 W. Duff New Hist. Scotl. 21 Douglass had fallen into an Ambuscade of the Enemy, and had five hundred Men kill'd.
1834 D. Crockett Narr. Life xi. 148 I..carried a pole, with which I would feel along before me, to see how deep it was, and to guard against falling into a slough.
1869 C. M. Yonge Cameos xcii, in Monthly Packet Jan. 30 They fell into the ambush and were all cut off.
1976 Beano 3 Apr. 17/3 Dig a pit and animals will fall into it!
2013 L. Cooper Forgotten Land iv. 196 I've fallen into a trap, I thought, as the two men turned to me and stared.
28.
a. intransitive. Of a building, structure, etc.: to collapse in fragments or ruins.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > condition of matter > bad condition of matter > deteriorate in condition [verb (intransitive)] > be dilapidated or ruined > fall into ruins
to-reosea900
fallOE
tumblea1400
ruinate1562
lapse1620
dilapidate1712
fail1776
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > falling > fall [verb (intransitive)] > fall down or from erect position > fall in pieces or ruins
to-fallc893
fallOE
to fall downc1175
tumblea1400
sinka1450
ruin1531
to fall in1611
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > destroy [verb (intransitive)] > be destroyed, ruined, or come to an end > due to its size or greatness
fall1829
OE Beowulf (2008) 772 Þa wæs wundor micel þæt se winsele wiðhæfde heaþodeorum, þæt he on hrusan ne feol, fæger foldbold.
c1300 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Otho) (1963) l. 7959 Þine walles fulle.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Isa. xxi. 9 He answerde, and seide, Is falle, is falle Babilon.
c1405 (c1375) G. Chaucer Monk's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 86 He two pilers shook and made hem falle And doun fil temple and al.
1423 in R. W. Chambers & M. Daunt Bk. London Eng. (1931) 135 The mud wall in the grete bayli next Shellardis hovs is defectif for faut of reparacion, and fallith parcelmele in-to the strete.
a1500 (?c1450) Merlin ii. 37 The trowth whi the toure fallith.
1563 W. Fulke Goodle Gallerye Causes Meteors iii. f. 20v The people, were faine to dwell abroade in the fieldes..for feare their houses would fall on their heades.
1608 D. Tuvill Ess. Politicke, & Morall f. 64 Though the wide world, being broke, should chance to fall, Her may the ruines hurt, but not appall.
1641 G. Wither Halelviah i. liii. 94 Those accursed walls, which fell When Rams-horne-Trumps were blown.
1751 C. Labelye Descr. Westm. Bridge 22 Upon unkeying any one of the Arches the whole Bridge would fall.
1755 Let. in Gentleman's Mag. Dec. 561 At the time the city [of Lisbon] fell..on the opposite side of the river..many houses also fell.
1829 H. H. Milman Hist. Jews III. xvi. 27 One of them [sc. towers] had fallen with its own weight.
1852 Trans. Bombay Geogr. Soc. 1850–2 10 286 The hill, in which the cave was, was violently shaken, and fell burying nearly every living being at that time within it.
1935 Times 27 Sept. 12/7 Most of the riverside wall had fallen, and..its wreckage lay on the mud.
2011 J. Maberry Dead of Night 336 Nearly three thousand people..died when the Twin Towers fell.
†b. intransitive. Of a vessel or opening in the body: to collapse inwards, so as to cause obstruction. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > be in ill health [verb (intransitive)] > be weak > become weak > of parts
falterc1386
flakec1500
fall1615
1615 H. Crooke Μικροκοσμογραϕια 83 Now if the putred excrement haue no disposition to the Circumference in liuing bodies when the secret passages of the body are open, the skin porous, & the faculties euery where at work; how shal it passe that way after those passages and pores are falne..?
29.
a. transitive. To cut down (a tree, vegetation, etc.); = fell v. 3. Since the 19th cent. chiefly English regional, North American, Australian, and New Zealand.Quot. a1325 (from a source whose scribal language is placed by Ling. Atlas Late Mediaeval Eng. in Ireland) is perhaps to be interpreted as showing fell v.: compare discussion at that entry.In quot. ?1440 with the subject of the clause as the implicit object of the infinitive, with the sense ‘timber is to be felled’.Early 15th-cent. currency of the sense is implied by quot. a1425 at falling n.1 3.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > forestry or arboriculture > lumbering > [verb (transitive)] > fell timber
fellOE
hewc1000
hewc1175
cutc1300
falla1325
stockc1440
to take down1818
droop1819
a1325 (?c1300) Northern Passion (Cambr. Gg.1.1) l. 1246 (MED) In his horcherd a tre grewe..He dide hit falle [c1450 Cambr. Ii.4.9 fellyn] euche a bothȝ. Wan hit was fallid [Cambr. Ii.4.9 I fellyd] þei gon hit wirche.
tr. Palladius De re Rustica (Duke Humfrey) (1896) ii. l. 437 Now matere is to falle in sesoun best.
?1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Husbandry f. xliiiv To fall the vnder wood.
1560 Bp. J. Pilkington Aggeus the Prophete (new issue) sig. H.viiiv They had fallen these trees and caryed them home.
1612 A. Hopton Concordancy of Yeares xxx. 112 The time is good to fall timber, to vncouer the roots of Apple-trees, to fallow land for Barley.
1685 in Colonial Rec. Pennsylvania (1852) I. 128 A Penalty to be laid upon such as Cutt or fall Marked..trees.
1707 ‘N. N.’ tr. J. Crasset Hist. Church Japan II. xi. 7 Taycosama employ'd Day and Night in these Works, partly in falling Wood, partly in hewing and carving Stone.
1744 R. Molesworth Short Course Standing Rules Govt. & Conduct Army iv. 65 Tools, as well for moving Earth, as for cutting down Hedges or Copsewood, falling Timber.
1803 H. Repton Observ. Landscape Gardening v. 75 The most beautiful places may rather be formed by falling, than by planting trees.
1860 A. F. Ridgway Voices from Auckland 67 When to fall his bush? When to burn off?
1875 W. D. Parish Dict. Sussex Dial. 40 These trees are getting too thick, I shall fall a few of them next year.
1883 Harper's Mag. Jan. 201/1 We must fall a tree straight and true.
1913 U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals Rep. 118 182 The general custom is for the foreman to tell the men who are about to fall timber to be careful about teams and men who are working around.
1974 W. Leeds Herefordshire Speech 61 Fall, to fell (a tree).
1981 in Dict. Amer. Regional Eng. (1991) II. 341/1 They had each fallen a tree.
2010 A. Krien Into Woods 127 Well, of course we're meant to fall them [sc. a few trees]. That's why we're here.
b. transitive. To cause (someone or something) to collapse to the ground; spec. to knock (a person) down with a blow from the fists, a weapon, etc. Also in figurative contexts. Cf. fell v. 1a. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > breaking or cracking > break [verb (transitive)] > break down, demolish, or ruin
spillc950
fellOE
to cast downc1230
destroy1297
to turn up?c1335
to throw down1340
to ding downc1380
to break downa1382
subverta1382
underturn1382
to take downc1384
falla1400
to make (a building, etc.) plain (with the earth)a1400
voida1400
brittenc1400
to burst downc1440
to pull downc1450
pluck1481
tumble1487
wreck1510
defacea1513
confound1523
raze1523
arase1530
to beat downc1540
ruinate1548
demolish1560
plane1562
to shovel down1563
race?1567
ruin1585
rape1597
unwall1598
to bluster down16..
raise1603
level1614
debolish1615
unbuilda1616
to make smooth work of1616
slight1640
to knock down1776
squabash1822
collapse1883
to turn over1897
mash1924
rubble1945
to take apart1978
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > causing to come or go down > cause to come or go down [verb (transitive)] > bring to the ground/lay low
layc888
afelleOE
to throw downa1250
groundc1275
to lay to ground, to earth (Sc. at eird)c1275
stoopc1275
evena1382
abatec1390
to bring downa1400
falla1400
welt?a1400
throwa1450
tumble1487
succumb1490
strewa1500
vaila1592
flat1607
level1614
floor1642
to fetch down1705
drop1726
supplant1751
a1400 (?a1350) Seege Troye (Egerton) (1927) l. 746 Mony a good body he fel [a1425 Linc. Inn feol, c1450 Arms fyld] adoun.
c1425 (c1400) Laud Troy-bk. l. 6999 (MED) He sclees hem & falles that he reches.
c1450 (a1400) Chevalere Assigne l. 310 in W. H. French & C. B. Hale Middle Eng. Metrical Romances (1930) 870 (MED) Euur folowe þou on þe flesh tyll þou haste hym falleth.
a1625 J. Boys Wks. (1629) 301 The serpent doth..bruise our heele and so fall vs.
1839 T. Shone Jrnl. 24 June (1992) 98 Went..to get somebody to come and help me to fall a Ox that is lame.
1869 J. C. Williams Hist. & Map of Danby, Vermont 217 Mr. Palmer..struck Briggs in the face, falling him to the ground.
1874 Error Bk. (Supreme Court, N. Y.) 11 I threw him down on the ground, he tired me so; then he falled me; then he got his will of me.
1911 N.Z. Truth 22 July 6 Blue, Currie, and Littlecote were occupied in clearing the bricks away prior to removing the ‘pins’ to fall the wall.
1975 in R. Allsopp Dict. Caribbean Eng. Usage (1996) 223/2 Me not been know me fall the fellah.
1983 A. Bantaș tr. I. Agârbiceanu in Romanian Rev. 37 Nos. 2–3. 88 If anyone enters the courtyard without knocking, the dog falls him to the ground.
30.
a. To come apart, break into pieces, disintegrate (without the notion of toppling to the ground).
(a) intransitive. With complement, as to fall to (also into, in) dust (also powder, mould, bits, etc.).See also to fall apart 2a at Phrasal verbs 1, to fall to pieces at piece n. Phrases 2d.
ΚΠ
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. xiii. i. 647 By strengþe of grete drynesse the erþe shulde falle [L. dissolueretur] to poudre.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 22798 Quen godd will sua..þat mans flexs to mold se fall.
a1450 Rule St. Benet (Vesp.) (1902) l. 2276 Þat whils scho rubes a-way þe rust, Þe vessel fal not al to dust.
a1513 R. Fabyan New Cronycles Eng. & Fraunce (1516) I. ccxxxviii. f. clxi/2 So soone as it was towched it fell in powder.
1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus Cariosa terra, rotten earth quickly fallen to duste.
1623 E. Misselden Circle of Commerce 115 The Apples of Sodome, that are specious in shew, but if you touch them, they will fall to powder.
1676 M. Cook Manner of raising Forrest-trees viii. 20 Let it [sc. Clay or Loom] be till the Frost hath made it fall into Mould.
1758 A. Reid tr. P. J. Macquer Elements Theory & Pract. Chym. I. 140 This coal when burnt falls into ashes.
1765 J. W. Baker Exper. in Agric. 1764 9 The Lumps exfoliating by the Operation of the Winter, by Degrees fell into fine Mold.
1839 J. S. Knowles Love (ed. 3) iv. iv. 94 Broken oaths as tiny shells which at a touch Do fall to powder!
1874 Baily's Monthly Mag. Oct. 26 So long as the wheels don't fall to bits I don't care.
1931 A. D. Hall Soil (ed. 4) i. 30 The soil..falls into dust when dry.
1977 ‘E. Crispin’ Glimpses of Moon xii. 254 It [sc. a car] remained in position, slowly falling to bits..and eventually had to be towed away.
2010 R. Jordan & B. Sanderson Towers of Midnight xv. 217 The stones fell to powder as she touched them.
(b) intransitive. Scottish and English regional. Without complement: (of clay, lime, etc.) to crumble, disintegrate; to be reduced to powder. Now rare. Sc. National Dict. (at Fa) records this sense as still in use in Argyll and Shetland in 1950.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > breaking or cracking > break [verb (intransitive)] > crumble
grushc1420
crumb1546
crumble1577
shalder1577
murl1600
slack1700
shatter1733
fall1743
1743 Sel. Trans. Soc. Improvers Knowl. Agric. Scotl. 109 The like burning will be also proper for the blue Clay, if it does not fall with the Plowings.
1770 A. Hunter et al. Georgical Ess. (new ed.) I. ii. 45 Clay, well limed, will fall in water.
1803 J. Walker in Prize Ess. & Trans. Highland Soc. Scotl. 2 57 Though peat is a very spongy substance, yet, like a sponge, it retains its firmness in water. It neither falls nor moulders.
1810 G. Robertson Gen. View Kincardineshire xiii. 373 [Lime] is laid down in cart loads on the end ridges of the field, where it remains till it has fallen.
1841 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 2 71 The best or dark-coloured clay will fall long before the top or yellow sort, which is not so easily pulverised.
1868 J. C. Atkinson Gloss. Cleveland Dial. 167 Fall,..2. Of lime; to become fine and powdery, in consequence of having been slaked.
†b. intransitive. Of a stitch in a piece of fabric: to break, causing a hole or rip in the fabric. Also of a garment: to have holes or rips caused by broken stitches. Obsolete.In quot. 1747 as part of an extended metaphor.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > sewn or ornamented textile fabric > [verb (intransitive)] > of stitch: burst or give way
fall1631
1631 B. Jonson Bartholmew Fayre Induct. sig. A4 in Wks. II Master Littlewit, the Proctor, has a stitch new falne in his black silk stocking.
1654 R. Whitlock Ζωοτομία 91 Let the Taylor..undertake to mend a stitch fallen in their Bodies.
1726 Let. to Bishop of M. (single sheet) A Pair of Breeches, But patch'd, and fallen in the Stitches.
1747 H. Brooke Secret Hist. & Mem. Barracks Ireland 26 These Stockings were once upon a Time in a State of Youth and Strength, and..their Decay was imperceptible till the first Stitch fell.
** Figurative and abstract senses.In sense 31 often with a strong element of physical motion implied.
31.
a.
(a) intransitive. To drop down dead; to be killed; esp. to die in battle or on active service. Also occasionally: †to be wounded (obsolete). Cf. fallen adj. 2c, fallen n. 2.In early use usually with complement, esp. in to fall dead.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > death > [verb (intransitive)]
forsweltc888
sweltc888
adeadeOE
deadc950
wendeOE
i-wite971
starveOE
witea1000
forfereOE
forthfareOE
forworthc1000
to go (also depart , pass, i-wite, chare) out of this worldOE
queleOE
fallOE
to take (also nim, underfo) (the) deathOE
to shed (one's own) blood?a1100
diec1135
endc1175
farec1175
to give up the ghostc1175
letc1200
aswelta1250
leavea1250
to-sweltc1275
to-worthc1275
to yield (up) the ghost (soul, breath, life, spirit)c1290
finea1300
spilla1300
part?1316
to leese one's life-daysa1325
to nim the way of deathc1325
to tine, leave, lose the sweatc1330
flit1340
trance1340
determinec1374
disperisha1382
to go the way of all the eartha1382
to be gathered to one's fathers1382
miscarryc1387
shut1390
goa1393
to die upa1400
expirea1400
fleea1400
to pass awaya1400
to seek out of lifea1400–50
to sye hethena1400
tinea1400
trespass14..
espirec1430
to end one's days?a1439
decease1439
to go away?a1450
ungoc1450
unlivec1450
to change one's lifea1470
vade1495
depart1501
to pay one's debt to (also the debt of) naturea1513
to decease this world1515
to go over?1520
jet1530
vade1530
to go westa1532
to pick over the perch1532
galpa1535
to die the death1535
to depart to God1548
to go home1561
mort1568
inlaikc1575
shuffle1576
finish1578
to hop (also tip, pitch over, drop off, etc.) the perch1587
relent1587
unbreathe1589
transpass1592
to lose one's breath1596
to make a die (of it)1611
to go offa1616
fail1623
to go out1635
to peak over the percha1641
exita1652
drop1654
to knock offa1657
to kick upa1658
to pay nature her due1657
ghost1666
to march off1693
to die off1697
pike1697
to drop off1699
tip (over) the perch1699
to pass (also go, be called, etc.) to one's reward1703
sink1718
vent1718
to launch into eternity1719
to join the majority1721
demise1727
to pack off1735
to slip one's cable1751
turf1763
to move off1764
to pop off the hooks1764
to hop off1797
to pass on1805
to go to glory1814
sough1816
to hand in one's accounts1817
to slip one's breatha1819
croak1819
to slip one's wind1819
stiffen1820
weed1824
buy1825
to drop short1826
to fall (a) prey (also victim, sacrifice) to1839
to get one's (also the) call1839
to drop (etc.) off the hooks1840
to unreeve one's lifeline1840
to step out1844
to cash, pass or send in one's checks1845
to hand in one's checks1845
to go off the handle1848
to go under1848
succumb1849
to turn one's toes up1851
to peg out1852
walk1858
snuff1864
to go or be up the flume1865
to pass outc1867
to cash in one's chips1870
to go (also pass over) to the majority1883
to cash in1884
to cop it1884
snuff1885
to belly up1886
perch1886
to kick the bucket1889
off1890
to knock over1892
to pass over1897
to stop one1901
to pass in1904
to hand in one's marble1911
the silver cord is loosed1911
pip1913
to cross over1915
conk1917
to check out1921
to kick off1921
to pack up1925
to step off1926
to take the ferry1928
peg1931
to meet one's Maker1933
to kiss off1935
to crease it1959
zonk1968
cark1977
to cark it1979
to take a dirt nap1981
the world > life > death > killing > kill [verb (intransitive)] > be killed
to be deadc1000
fallOE
spilla1300
suffera1616
to fall (a) prey (also victim, sacrifice) toa1774
to lose the number of one's mess1807
to go up1825
to get his (also hers, theirs)1903
to cop (also stop, catch, get, etc.) a packet1916
click1917
not to know (or to wonder) what hit one1923
to get the works1928
to go for a burton1941
(to get) the chop or chopper1945
OE Battle of Maldon (1942) 54 Feallan sceolon hæþene æt hilde.
OE Ælfric Homily: De Populo Israhel (Hatton 115) in J. C. Pope Homilies of Ælfric (1968) II. 645 Þa feollon hi [sc. the Israelites] deade, feala þæs folces, for þan [þe] hi fandodon Godes.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 908 He ne felle þære dæd Þurrh godess wraþþe.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 7339 Þer uellen [c1300 Otho fulle] to þan grunde twa & þritti hundred.
c1300 St. Andrew (Harl.) 104 in C. D'Evelyn & A. J. Mill S.-Eng. Legendary (1956) 546 As he homward wende He ful ded tofore þe men.
c1330 (?a1300) Arthour & Merlin (Auch.) (1973) l. 5020 Mani þai hitten and smiten þurth Þat fellen ded in þe furth.
a1450 (c1375) G. Chaucer Anelida & Arcite (Tanner 346) (1878) l. 170 Dede she falleth as a stone.
c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 3v What duke þat was ded throughe dyntes of hond Who fallen was in ffylde.
1570 Mariage Witte & Sci. v. i. sig. Eiiv He..fought, and fell in open field.
1599 W. Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet v. i. 62 The life-wearie-taker may fall dead . View more context for this quotation
1638 T. Herbert Some Yeares Trav. (rev. ed.) 115 A brave Prince..fell by the axe of treachery.
1670 T. Vincent Fire & Brimstone viii. 44 God may bring Plague and Famine together, so that such who do not fall suddenly by the Plague, shall be consumed more leasurely by the Famine.
1703 J. Savage tr. Select Coll. Lett. Antients xliv. 106 If I had fallen in my Distemper.
1743 J. Bulkeley & J. Cummins Voy. to South-seas 75 I had no desire of falling by the Hand of Captain C.
a1860 O. Bronson Serm. (1861) xiv. 222 The twenty and four thousand fell by the pestilence, in the plain of Moab.
1874 J. R. Green Short Hist. Eng. People ii. §5. 80 The greater part of the higher nobility had fallen in battle.
1922 Times 2 Oct. 18 In memory of six hundred officers and men of High Wycombe who fell in the war.
1989 T. Clancy Clear & Present Danger xxvii. 589 Thirty more men fell dead, and ten wounded under the scything fragments from the mines.
2006 Daily Mirror (Nexis) 6 Sept. 13 British soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq are falling every day.
(b) intransitive. spec. Of an animal or bird: to be killed, esp. in a hunt; to be brought down.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > death > [verb (intransitive)] > of animals
fall1697
torple1876
the world > food and drink > hunting > thing hunted or game > action of game > [verb (intransitive)]
to stand, be (abide obs.) at bayc1314
to steal awayc1369
stalla1425
starta1425
rusec1425
beatc1470
lodgec1470
trason1486
rouse1532
angle1575
bolt1575
to take squat1583
baya1657
watch1677
fall1697
tree1699
to go away1755
to sink the wind1776
to get up1787
to go to ground1797
lie1797
to stand up1891
fly1897
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 118 By the holy Butcher, if he [sc. an Ox] fell.
1773 G. Fitzgerald Acad. Sportsman 27 Imagination fondly sports to tell, How many Grouse! how many Partridge fell!
1789 C. Smith Ethelinde I. ii. 39 On that towering hill to the left,..the first grouse fell by my gun.
1823 W. Scoresby Jrnl. Voy. Northern Whale-fishery 289 Another whale..fell under our lances.
1837 New Sporting Mag. Aug. 86 The stoat, polecat, and weazle, all of which have fallen by the trap or the gun.
1973 Field & Stream Nov. 147/1 Some shooting reverberated in the gloom of the evergreens but no grouse fell.
2002 A. G. Gold & B. R. Gujar tr. in In Time of Trees & Sorrows 139 Singh fired one shot and hit the lion in the forehead and the lion fell right there.
(c) intransitive. With to, specifying the weapon or instrument used, as to fall to a person's gun (also rifle, sword, etc.): to be killed by a person's gun, sword, etc. Also in figurative contexts.
ΚΠ
1841 Sporting Mag. Feb. 345 In the course of that season two thousand three hundred and forty-seven head of game fell to his (White's) gun on that very property!
1880 Manitoba Daily Free Press 14 Aug. He killed six men,..the treacherous governor being the first man who fell to his avenging sword.
1892 H. Chichester in Dict. National Biogr. XXIX. 116/1 Seven lions fell to his rifle in one day.
1921 Country Life 4 June 664/1 He battled his way to the front... Mr Wright, a favourite for the [golf] prize, fell to his sword, or rather his club.
1988 Salmon, Trout, & Sea-trout June 41/2 The first salmon to be landed from Ayr this season fell to the rod of a day-visitor from Prestwick.
2012 R. Mills Carroll Shelby (2014) 436 Carroll has never hunted animals before or since but during his time in Africa some truly big game fell to his rifle.
b. intransitive. With with or †of. To become ill with a specified disease. Cf. to fall ill at sense 45a(b), to fall down 2b at Phrasal verbs 1. Now archaic and rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > be in ill health [verb (intransitive)] > fall ill
sicklec1000
sicka1150
sickenc1175
evil1303
mislike?1440
fall1526
to take a conceit1543
to fall down?1571
to lay upa1616
to run of (or on) a garget1615
craze1658
invalid1829
wreck1876
collapse1879
to go sick1879
to sicken for1883
1526 Grete Herball ccxii. sig. M.vi/2 It is pryncypally good for palsy, artetyke, and gowty folke. And for them that fall of the hye euyll, called epylence.
a1533 King Henry VIII Love-lett. to A. Boleyn (1714) 25 Yrion of Brearton, John Cocke the Pothecary, be fallen of the Swett in this House.
a1684 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1653 (1955) III. 84 My Servant..fell of a fit of an Apoplexie.
1864 J. Turrill Diary 3 Mar. in Oxfordshire Market Gardener (1993) 28 I have not heard of anyone else falling with it [sc. the Small Pox] and they all are getting better.
1947 K. Bercovici Exodus 241 Suddenly one of the King's concubines fell with the sickness.
2006 J. Ward Women in Eng. in Middle Ages iv. 59 The hayward..fell with the ‘falling sickness’..and died immediately.
32. intransitive. To be cast down or brought to nothing; to pass out of power or use; esp. (of an empire, government, institution, or leader) to be overthrown. Also: †transitive to overthrow, vanquish (obsolete).to stand or fall: see stand v. Phrases 2b. Cf. also to fall away 5a at Phrasal verbs 1, to fall down 1b at Phrasal verbs 1, to fall to the ground at Phrases 1d.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > failure or lack of success > defeat or overthrow > be defeated or overthrown [verb (intransitive)]
fallOE
to come (also go) to the groundc1175
confusec1330
to go away (also flee) with the worsea1413
to go to (also unto) the worse1485
to go to the wall (or walls)1549
foil1591
to go to the posta1624
to have had one's chips1959
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > destroy [verb (intransitive)] > be destroyed, ruined, or come to an end
losec888
fallOE
forlesea1225
perishc1275
spilla1300
to go to wreche13..
to go to the gatec1330
to go to lostc1374
miscarryc1387
quenchc1390
to bring unto, to fall into, to go, put, or work to wrakea1400
mischieve?a1400
tinea1400
to go to the devilc1405
bursta1450
untwindc1460
to make shipwreck1526
to go to (the) pot1531
to go to wreck (and ruin)a1547
wrake1570
wracka1586
to hop (also tip, pitch over, drop off, etc.) the perch1587
to lie in the dusta1591
mischief1598
to go (etc.) to rack (and ruin)1599
shipwreck1607
suffera1616
unravel1643
to fall off1684
tip (over) the perch1699
to do away with1769
to go to the dickens1833
collapse1838
to come (also go) a mucker1851
mucker1862
to go up1864
to go to squash1889
to go (to) stramash1910
to go for a burton1941
to meet one's Makera1978
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > destroy [verb (transitive)] > overthrow or overturn
to-warpc888
overwarpeOE
fallOE
cumber1303
overthrowc1375
overturna1382
subverta1382
overwalta1400
sinka1400
to wend downa1400
tuyrec1400
reverse1402
tirvec1420
pervert?a1425
to put downa1425
cumrayc1425
downthringc1430
overthwart?a1439
thringc1480
subvertise1484
succumb1490
renverse1521
precipitate?1528
everta1538
wrake1570
ruinate1590
profligate1643
wreck1749
OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 1st Ser. (Royal) (1997) v. 219 Þa wearþ he [sc. Herodes] micclum afyrht, & anþracode þæt his rice feallan sceolde, þurh tocyme þæs soðan cyninges.
OE Genesis A (1931) 1198 Enoch..nalles feallan let dom and drihtscipe, þenden he hyrde wæs heafodmaga.
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1865) I. 5 (MED) In our tyme, art, sciens and lawe al were i-falle [L. ruerent].
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. ii. xviii. 83 Þinges þat buþ imaad and passiþ and fallith be passinge of tyme. [No corresponding passage in the Latin original.]
?1556 J. Bradford Copye Let. to Erles sig. G.viii If we draw backe our kingdom wil fal.
1565 W. Alley Πτωχομυσεῖον i. iii. f. 106 The Empire of Assiria vtterly fell and was destroyed vnder Sardanapalus, a most lasciuious and dissolute king.
1589 G. Puttenham Arte Eng. Poesie iii. iv. 123 Many a word yfalne shall eft arise.
1653 O. Cromwell Speech 4 July 18 For the Government must not fall.
1681 J. Crown Thyestes v. v. 48 Fill up that reverend unvanqush'd bowl, Who many a Gyant in his time has fallen.
1697 S. Baston Dial. Courtier & Eng. Gentleman 3 Satan cannot cast out Satan, if he should his Kingdom would fall.
1768 Boston Gaz. 18 July Then join Hand in Hand brave Americans all, By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall.
a1780 J. Harris Philol. Inq. (1781) iii. x. 454 After a succession of centuries, the Roman empire fell.
1818 Ld. Byron Childe Harold: Canto IV cxlv. 75 When falls the Coliseum, Rome shall fall; And when Rome falls—the World.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. 161 Who..could hope to stand where the Hydes had fallen?
1874 J. R. Green Short Hist. Eng. People i. §3. 20 The faith of Woden..was not to fall without a struggle.
1943 Times 19 Aug. 3/4 The régime will fall unexpectedly and all at once.
1990 Current Hist. Dec. 413/1 The timing and the speed with which the Communist system fell in Czechoslovakia took most observers and activists by surprise.
2011 Independent 3 Sept. 39/4 When a dictator falls, certain patterns emerge.
33.
a. intransitive. To give in to temptation; to lapse morally; to sin; spec. (esp. of a woman) to have a sexual encounter outside marriage. Cf. fallen adj. 4, fallen woman n. at fallen adj. and n. Compounds 2.Distinct from sense 14b in that the reference is to the moment or instance of sinning as opposed to the consequent moral decline, although in some quots. there is overlap or ambiguity.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > moral evil > wrong conduct > act wrongly or immorally [verb (intransitive)] > fall or lapse
befallc897
fallOE
slidea1000
slipc1340
scrithe1434
society > morality > moral evil > licentiousness > unchastity > loss of chastity > fall from chastity (of woman) [verb (intransitive)]
to tread (her) shoe awry (rarely amiss)c1422
to go wrong?1507
falla1616
to tread one's shoe awry (the shoe, one's foot, amiss, etc.)1642
to take a stone (up) in the ear1691
to sprain one's ankle1785
OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 1st Ser. (Royal) (1997) xix. 330 Gif he fealle, he eft astande, þæt is gif he agylte, he hit georne gebete, & syððan geswice.
a1200 (?c1175) Poema Morale (Trin. Cambr.) 316 in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 229 Hit is strong te stonde longe and liht hit is to falle.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 25812 Wiþ how litel speche he moȝt haue couered mercy quen he felle.
a1500 (?a1450) Gesta Romanorum (Harl. 7333) (1879) 74 (MED) Seven sithes in þe day fallith þe rightwise man.
1549 R. Crowley Voyce Laste Trumpet sig. D.v The fyrste woman did fall And was the chiefe occasion That synne hath pearsed through vs all.
1571 J. Northbrooke Spiritus est Vicarius Christi: Poore Mans Garden f. 102v If any man consider that..his owne fleshe..boyleth vnto lust, and cannot staie it, there is laide vpon hym a double necessitie, either to take a wife, or to fall.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1623) iv. iii. 86 It is their Husbands faults If Wiues do fall.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost iii. 129 The first sort by thir own suggestion fell, Self-tempted. View more context for this quotation
1701 H. J. Fatal Union France & Spain 7 May you still Covet, yet prove Impotent: May Lust incite, and when the Women fall, Expecting much, meet no Content at all.
1758 S. Hayward Seventeen Serm. xvii. 505 When he [sc. David] fell so criminally and publickly with Bathsheba.
1787 Town & Country Mag. June 251/1 She heard, with pleasure, his vows and protestations: and, placing too much confidence in his insidious professions,—she fell.
1822 C. Anley Influence II. iv. 145 Poor Caroline, no wonder that she has fallen, for she had no friend to guide, and every temptation to betray her.
1869 Daily News 21 May No girls..of any age who are suspected of having fallen.
1925 L. Hart Girls do not tempt Me in Compl. Lyrics (1986) 60/1 If you tempt me, I'll fall, that's all!
2006 A. Isba Gladstone & Dante iv. 65 He believed that fallen women fell through no fault of their own, but for reasons such as poverty and male deceit.
b. intransitive. With into (occasionally to; in early use also †in, †on). To lapse into sin, temptation, error, etc.In early use with reference to moral failure; later also with reference to error more generally.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > moral evil > wrong conduct > misconduct (one's life) [verb (transitive)] > fall into (sin or error)
fallOE
to run to ——1595
OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 1st Ser. (Royal) (1997) xvii. 314 Se bið untrum se ðe on leahtrum fylð.
a1225 MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 63 God..ȝife us swa his wil to donne..þet we ne fallen naut ine sunne.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 176 Hou ofte he heþ yualle into zenne.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 25400 Latus in na fanding fall.
a1425 (a1400) Prick of Conscience (Galba & Harl.) (1863) l. 3438 In swa many veniel syns we falle.
c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 199 So myȝti men..fillen into ydolatrie.
1549 M. Coverdale et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. II. Rev. viii. f. xi A..whyppe, whiche shoulde scourge and punyshe the christendome fallyng into synne and dyssolutenes.
1553 R. Eden in tr. S. Münster Treat. Newe India Pref. sig. Aiijv Sayncte Augustyne..fell into chyldishe erroure.
1603 A. Willet Retection 157 Aerius being fallen into the Arrian heresie, [etc.].
1660 J. Lloyd Treat. Episcopacy 44 It was a difficult matter..not to fall to superstition or idolatry.
1711 R. Steele Spectator No. 53. ⁋4 Many new Vanities which the Women will fall into.
a1770 J. Jortin Serm. (1771) III. i. 21 Many persons fall into mistakes in their notions of happiness.
1859 F. E. Paget Curate of Cumberworth 243 In making the marinade..she had fallen into the heresy of using red wine only.
1875 B. Jowett tr. Plato Dialogues (ed. 2) III. 202 An error into which we have fallen.
1906 E. Wharton Let. 1 Mar. (1988) 104 The curious Catholic dread of falling into the heresy that animals have souls.
1976 Oadby & Wigston Advertiser 26 Nov. 12/3 He had been offered the yarn by his co-accused and had fallen to temptation.
2002 Times 25 Oct. 41/6 The jury had fallen into serious error..and its award could not be supported.
34.
a. Of a city, fort, etc.: to succumb to attack; to be captured or conquered.
(a) intransitive. Without construction.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > defeat > be defeated [verb (intransitive)] > be captured
fallc1425
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) i. l. 859 (MED) Whan Troye was falle with his toures faire.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. xxxvj How to defende the finall distruction of this auncient cytee which is lickely to fall, which cytee was neuer conquired.
1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida v. ix. 11 So Illion fall thou.
1632 J. Hayward tr. G. F. Biondi Eromena 81 The forts left alone unsuccour'd, would afterwards fall of themselves.
1797 Ld. Nelson in Dispatches & Lett. (1845) II. 343 On the quarter-deck of a Spanish First-rate..did I receive the Swords of vanquished Spaniards..thus fell these Ships.
1819 Ld. Byron Don Juan: Canto I lvi. 31 When proud Granada fell.
1869 W. Longman Hist. Edward III I. x. 192 Stirling fell before he could advance to its relief.
1971 Times 10 Dec. 8/7 Jessore, which was captured over the weekend, fell without a fight.
2017 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 14 Mar. 20 The town fell early yesterday morning as Taliban forces continued a year-long offensive.
(b) intransitive. With to, specifying the conquering force. Also in extended use: (of a company, organization, etc.) to be taken over.In some instances perhaps with admixture of sense 37a.
ΚΠ
1614 W. Raleigh Hist. World i. v. iii. §2. 474 Vpon the very rumour of this his [sc. Asdrubal's] iournie, almost all Spaine was readie to fall to the Romans.
1658 tr. J. Ussher Ann. World 515 And so he ran over all Phrygia, Myria, and Asia, provinces but lately fallen to the Romans, as far as Caria and Lycia.
1774 R. Tomlinson Plan Manning Royal Navy 29 If their skill and bravery had been equal to those of the British officers and seamen, all our Oriental possessions, must inevitably have fallen to the French in 1758.
1830 C. F. Neumann in tr. Elisæus Hist. Vartan 74 This is the year 428, in which..the greater portion of Armenia, that which had fallen to the Persians, was ruled by Margraves.
1858 J. A. Froude Hist. Eng. (ed. 2) IV. xx. 282 Gran [i.e. Esztergom] had fallen to the Turks, with heavy loss.
1918 Geogr. Jrnl. 51 74 The stronghold..fell to the enemy.
1988 Time 4 June 27/1 Wedgwood..fell to Waterford glass of Ireland after LIG's bid was blocked.
1992 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 30 Jan. 36/3 South Vietnam was about to fall to the Communists.
2017 Canberra Times (Nexis) 17 Mar. 18 Mosul fell to Islamic State in June 2014.
b. intransitive. Cards. Of a card: to be beaten by a higher card. Usually with to.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > play at cards [verb (intransitive)] > actions or tactics > be taken by higher card
fall1714
1714 A. Pope Rape of Lock (new ed.) iii. 22 Ev'n mighty Pam..now, destitute of Aid, Falls undistinguish'd by the Victor Spade!
1752 Westm. Mag. 4 Jan. 49/2 He..should begin with the King, and then play the Ace,..because it is most probable that the Queen will fall to the Ace and King.
1856 H. C. Bunbury Whist Player 65 You would have been compelled..to lead your ace, when your partner's knave would have fallen to it.
1889 ‘B. W. D.’ & ‘Cavendish’ Whist 58 The knave of diamonds must fall to the king.
1937 Times 8 Sept. 15/6 Z makes his Ace, on which A's King falls and A makes only the 8 of Clubs.
2004 Washington Post (Nexis) 18 Jan. d2 West leads the deuce of hearts, and your king falls to South's ace.
c. intransitive. Cricket. Of a wicket: to be taken by the bowling side; (of a batter) to be dismissed.This sense probably arose with reference to the wicket being knocked down by the ball, resulting in the dismissal of the batter.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > dismissal of batsman > put out [verb (intransitive)] > fall (of wicket)
fall1773
go1831
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > batting > bat [verb (intransitive)] > be out
to run out1756
fall1829
go1831
walk1960
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > dismissal of batsman > put out [verb (intransitive)] > dismissal (of player)
fall1829
to get out1833
1773 J. Duncombe Surry Triumphant 10 Full fast the Kentish wickets fell.
1829 Bury & Norwich Post 16 Sept. The first four wickets fell for about as many notches, but Adams..and Stearn..with the assistance of the Eye club, made up their innings to 190.
1859 All Year Round 23 July 306 It was painful to see the Colonel's expression as the sergeant's wicket fell.
1882 C. F. Pardon Australians in Eng. 147 Grace fell to a catch at long-on.
1912 Chambers's Jrnl. July 449/2 Three of the University batsmen fell in rapid succession.
1971 Times 8 Dec. 11/3 Varis scored a useful 21 before falling to Hutton.
2016 Hobart (Austral.) Mercury (Nexis) 20 Nov. 77 The last four wickets fell for just four runs.
d. intransitive. Criminals' slang (chiefly U.S.). (a) To be convicted or sent to prison. (b) To be arrested. Cf. fall n.2 7, Phrases 2a(b); to go down 14 at go v. Phrasal verbs 1.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > punishment > imprisonment > be imprisoned [verb (intransitive)]
wake1338
to lie by ita1644
to be in lumber1819
fall1874
to partake of (or enjoy) His (or Her) Majesty's hospitality1894
to go down1906
society > law > administration of justice > general proceedings > arrest > [verb (intransitive)] > be arrested
fall1874
to take a fall1922
to have one's collar felt1950
1874 C. Sutton N.Y. Tombs xxxv. 477 Riley..has just been sent to Sing Sing, and his three pals..‘fell’ on another racket.
1879 Macmillan's Mag. 40 502/2 I fell (was taken up) again at St. Mary Cray for being found at the back of a house.
1893 L. W. Moore His Own Story xxxiv. 447 I want you to follow my instructions when the case is tried, and if I fall I will find no fault with you.
1903 H. Hapgood Autobiogr. Thief v. 95 Johnny ‘fell’, that is to say, was arrested, a score of times, but succeeded in getting off.
1926 J. Black You can't Win ix. 108 If you do fall, the government don't hang a lot of prior convictions on you.
1938 F. D. Sharpe Sharpe of Flying Squad xiv. 158 ‘What, has he fell again!’ Getting caught [by the police] is always referred to as ‘falling’.
a1993 ‘Iceberg Slim’ Doom Fox (1998) ii. 28 I got enough bankroll, if you fall, to raise you for murder one with a telephone call.
2002 J. Goad Shit Magnet xvi. 297 All the hard-boiled convict types who looked so extreme to me when I first fell now look utterly normal.
e. intransitive. Of a sportsperson or team: to lose a game or match (to another player or team); to be knocked out of a competition, tournament, etc.
ΚΠ
1901 Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper 21 Apr. 24/1 Both of them [sc. Southampton and Millwall] fell in the first round this season.
1948 Mich. Alumnus 5 June 412/2 Word had come in that Illinois had fallen to Ohio State, 6–0.
1999 Independent 26 June (Sport section) 32 Apart from Seles, two other seeds fell yesterday.
2010 Daily News (Galveston, Texas) 24 Feb. a7/3 The Clear Creek Wildcats weren't as fortunate, falling in their first play-off game in three years to Fort Ben Dulles.
†35. intransitive. Of a lineage: to die out. Of a right, agreement, etc.: to expire, lapse. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > end or extremity > come to an end [verb (intransitive)]
finea1300
cease1382
fall1523
to break up1544
to blow off1633
subside1654
peter1846
the world > existence and causation > existence > non-existence > be non-existent [verb (intransitive)] > end or cease to exist
tirec725
endOE
forfareOE
goc1175
fleec1200
to wend awayc1225
diea1240
to-melta1240
to pass awaya1325
flit1340
perishc1350
vanisha1375
decorre1377
cease1382
dispend1393
failc1400
overshakec1425
surcease1439
adrawc1450
fall1523
decease1538
define1562
fleet1576
expire1595
evanish1597
extinguish1599
extirp1606
disappear1623
evaporatea1631
trans-shift1648
annihilate1656
exolve1657
cancela1667
to pass off1699
to burn out, forth1832
spark1845
to die out1853
to come, go, etc. by the board1859
sputter1964
1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. lxiv. f. xxxv/2 (heading) The duke dyed without heyre, wherby the dyscencion fell. [No corresponding word in the French original.]
1697 G. Mackenzie Petition Sub-tacksman of Addit. & Annexed-excise Northern Shires 1 If the Accidents of Plague, Famine or War, should fall out, his Tack should fall, and from thence-furth be null.
a1715 Bp. G. Burnet Hist. Own Time (1724) I. 403 An additional excise, that had been formerly given, was now falling.
1754 J. Erskine Princ. Law Scotl. I. ii. vi. 175 A tack..granted to a single woman, falls by her superveening marriage.
1856 A. Menzies Conveyancing according to Law Scotl. ii. vi. 392 The risk of expiration by the death of a party may be obviated by a provision in the deed, that the submission shall not fall by the death of either party.
1875 Bill Erection & Improvem. Labourers Cottages 3 in Parl. Papers (H.C. 39) III. 129 Arbitrations under this Act shall not fall or expire by lapse of time or by death or bankruptcy.
IV. To be allotted; to (come to) belong or be included; to have a particular placement or disposition.
36. intransitive. With on, †unto, upon, †over. Of a lot or other device which determines choice, or (in later use more generally) a choice or decision: to light upon or indicate the selection of the specified person or thing. In early use chiefly in the lot falls on—— at lot n. Phrases 1a.In early use also with indirect object expressing the person selected.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > necessity > fate or destiny as determining events > must as decreed by fate [verb (intransitive)] > be one's lot > fall to a person (of lot)
fallOE
OE Extracts from Bible: Ecclesiasticus (Royal 7 C.iv) xxv. 26 in R. Cornelius Die altenglische Interlinearversion zu De vittiis et peccatis (1995) 158 Brevis omnis malitia super malitiam mulieris, sors peccatorum cadit super illam: sceort ælc yfelnyss ofer yfelnysse wifes hlot synfulra fealþ ofer hy.
c1175 ( Nativity of Virgin (Bodl.) in B. Assmann Angelsächsische Homilien u. Heiligenleben (1889) 130 Þa feol þæt lot ofer Iudan cynn, Iacobes sune.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 621 Affterr þatt hiss lott himm fell. To þewwtenn i þe temmple.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) v. l. 5314 In thilke yeer..The lot upon his chance fell.
c1430 (c1386) G. Chaucer Legend Good Women (Cambr. Gg.4.27) (1879) l. 1946 The lot is fallyn hym vp-on.
a1500 (?c1425) Speculum Sacerdotale (1936) 35 (MED) They drewe sorte, and the sorte felle vppon Mathye.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Psalms xv[i]. 6 The lott is fallen vnto me in a fayre grounde.
1611 Bible (King James) Acts i. 26 They gaue foorth their lots, and the lot fell vpon Matthias. View more context for this quotation
1721 London Gaz. No. 6008/1 The Election by Balloting fell upon M. d'Erlac.
1798 G. Washington Let. in Writings (1893) XIV. 38 My earnest wish, that the choice had fallen on a man less declined in years.
1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. III. 248 The choice..fell on Whig candidates.
1855 C. Kingsley Heroes (1868) ii. 241 The people stood..weeping, as the lot fell on this one and on that.
1929 P. Hibben Peerless Leader vi. xxvii. 320 He first debated the possibility of giving Bryan a foreign post, but the final decision fell on the position of Secretary of State.
2001 New Yorker 3 Sept. 87/3 Her choice fell upon Milford.
37.
a. intransitive. Of goods, property, etc.: to be allotted or apportioned to a person, esp. as an inheritance. Also in extended use: to come to a person as his or her fate.In early use also with indirect object (originally in the dative) expressing the recipient or person affected. Also occasionally with †on, †upon.In quot. ?a1400 impersonal.See also to fall to (also †in) the lot of (a person) at lot n. Phrases 1c, to fall to one's share at share n.2 Phrases 2.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > necessity > fate or destiny as determining events > must as decreed by fate [verb (intransitive)] > be one's lot
tidec1000
fallOE
to be made for each other (also one another)1709
OE Lambeth Psalter xv. 6 Funes ceciderunt mihi in praeclaris, etenim hereditas mea praeclara est mihi : rapas feollun [lOE Salisbury Psalter feollan] me on þurhbe [perh. read þurhbeorhtum] witodlice yrfweardnes min þurhscinendlic uel þurhbeorht is me.
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1872) IV. 155 (MED) Þe feeldes..schulde falle [L. devolverentur] to þe nexte of þe blood.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 4072 Þat blis sal þe neuer fall.
?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) (1996) ii. 3487 Him felle to be þe toþer.
a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Romaunt Rose (Hunterian) (1891) l. 7339 Sich armour as to hem felle.
c1475 (?c1451) Bk. Noblesse (Royal) (1860) 23 Youre next enheritaunce that fille to youre seide progenitoures.
a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. xiii. 139 Thus it fell to my lott. Gyll, I had sich grace.
1569 R. Grafton Chron. II. 417 After a long fight the victorie fell on the Englishe part.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Macbeth (1623) ii. iv. 30 The Soueraignty will fall vpon Macbeth. View more context for this quotation
1668 J. Denham Poems 173 After the Flood, Arts to Chaldæa fell.
1696 tr. J. Dumont New Voy. Levant 127 The Commanderies..fall to 'em by right of Seniority.
1709 R. Steele Tatler No. 180. ⁋1 He had an Estate fallen to him.
1742 H. Fielding Joseph Andrews I. ii. xiv. 267 The Hogs fell chiefly to his care. View more context for this quotation
1858 T. Carlyle Hist. Friedrich II of Prussia I. iii. xvi. 329 The whole fighting fell to Sir Horace.
1874 A. Trollope Lady Anna II. xli. 212 That proportion of the estate which fell to Lady Anna.
1900 S. M. Zwemer Arabia x. 101 The real profit [in the pearl-fishing business] falls to those who remain on shore.
1966 Irish Times 18 May 9/2 The artist must console himself with whatever crumbs of advertisement may fall to his share.
2012 E. P. Bennett in E. P. Bennett & D. A. Reid Beyond Forty Acres & Mule iv. viii. 197 Wes Crisps farm..ultimately fell to his son.
b. intransitive. Of a granted property or its revenues: to revert to the original owner or the feudal superior, typically after the grantee's death or the expiry of the grant. In later use usually with to. Cf. to fall in 10a at Phrasal verbs 1. Now historical.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > legal right > right of possession or ownership > right to succeed to title, position, or estate > reversion > revert [verb (intransitive)] > revert to feudal superior
fall1550
a1325 Statutes of Realm (2011) v. 19 Writes..þoru wuche lond oþer tenement is iasked, ant that sulle decenden, retornen, oþer bileuen, oþer uallen, þoru mort de auncestre.
1550 R. Crowley One & Thyrtye Epigrammes sig. Cviii Reuersions of fermes are bought, long ere they fall.
1583 in W. Greenwell Wills & Inventories Registry Durham (1860) II. 76 To remayne..in the manor house of Thirlwall, untill Newbiggen fall.
1686 R. Parr Life J. Usher 41 He..obtained a grant of a patent..of such impropriations belonging to the Crown, as were then Leased out, as soon as they should fall.
1705 W. Forbes Treat. Church-lands & Tithes i. v. 90 Many of the above-mentioned Colledge Churches fell to the King by the Forefaulture of the Founders.
1839 T. Keightley Hist. Eng. II. 48 The revenues should fall to the crown.
1871 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest (1876) IV. xvii. 58 The new Minster was held to fall by the treason of its Abbot.
1987 R. R. Davies Conquest, Coexistence, & Change x. 271 Gower likewise fell to the Crown on the death of the earl of Warwick in 1184.
2013 C. West Reframing Feudal Revol. i. i. 23 He entrusted his lands to an unfortunately short-lived royal free man, whose estates automatically fell to the king on his death.
†c. transitive. Chiefly Scottish and English regional (northern). To get or receive (something); spec. to receive as one's share or inheritance. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > acquisition > obtain or acquire [verb (transitive)]
wieldeOE
haveeOE
ofgoOE
oweOE
addlec1175
winc1175
avela1200
to come by ——a1225
covera1250
oughtc1275
reachc1275
hentc1300
purchasec1300
to come to ——c1330
getc1330
pickc1330
chevise1340
fang1340
umbracec1350
chacche1362
perceivea1382
accroacha1393
achievea1393
to come at ——a1393
areach1393
recovera1398
encroach?a1400
chevec1400
enquilec1400
obtainc1422
recurec1425
to take upc1425
acquirea1450
encheve1470
sortise1474
conques?a1500
tain1501
report1508
conquest1513
possess1526
compare1532
cough1550
coff1559
fall1568
reap1581
acquist1592
accrue1594
appurchasec1600
recoil1632
to get at ——1666
to come into ——1672
rise1754
net1765
to fall in for1788
to scare up1846
access1953
1568 A. Scott Poems (1896) xxv. 66 Feind a crum of the scho fawis.
?a1600 R. Henryson tr. Æsop Fables (Harl.) in Poems (1906) II. 55 To eit puddingis, or laip ane litill blude, Or heid, or feit, or panchis let me preif, In cace na flesche vnto my fude I fall.
a1642 H. Best Farming & Memorandum Bks. (1984) 28 If they bee under five the Procter falleth none... If there bee above five the Procter falleth one.
1650 J. Row & J. Row Hist. Kirk Scotl. (1842) 89 If a minister depart this life after Michaelmas, his executors shall fall that year's stipend.
1690 W. Walker Idiomatologia Anglo-Lat. 164 He heard that Dion had fallen a good estate.
1713 Sorbie Kirk Session Rec. 7 Aug. in Sc. Nat. Dict. Suppl. at Fa Sir James Dunbar falling the nixt choyse.
1796 R. Burns Honest Man vii. 3 Guid faith, he manna fa' that!
1871 P. H. Waddell Psalms frae Hebrew xxxvi. 29 The rightous sal fa' the yird; an' sal bide on't.
1889 Manley & Corringham Gloss. Fall, to get, to receive.
38.
†a. To belong, pertain, or apply to a person or thing, as a possession, attribute, etc.; (also) to be appropriate or suitable to. Also with till, for, or indirect object.
(a) intransitive. With person or thing as subject. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > owning > belong [verb (intransitive)]
limp858
longlOE
belielOE
fallc1175
rine?c1225
belongc1330
pertaina1382
bec1384
appertain1416
cohere1634
society > morality > dueness or propriety > [verb (intransitive)]
shallc700
behovec1175
fallc1175
sita1393
fit1574
society > morality > dueness or propriety > [verb (intransitive)] > be morally fitting for one
fallc1175
the world > relative properties > order > agreement, harmony, or congruity > suitability or appropriateness > be suitable, appropriate, or suit [verb (intransitive)] > be fitting or proper
i-burec1000
shallc1000
belongOE
becomec1175
fallc1175
beliea1225
ferea1300
longc1350
beseemc1384
pertainc1384
it is worthy thata1398
accordc1400
foldc1400
affeir1415
fit1574
suit?1591
sort1595
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 13582 Till þiss sware falleþþ wel. Þatt tatt filippe seȝȝde.
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 155 Vnstaðelfest bi leaue aȝein hali lare nis hit of Prude in obedience. Her to falleð sigaldrie, false tollunges [etc.].
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 132 Þe bissopriche of ely þat þe yle of ely is, & of grantebrugge ssire, þat þer to valþ iwis.
c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. i. l. 50 ‘Þenne Reddite,’ quaþ God ‘þat to Cesar falleþ.’
a1400 (c1340) R. Rolle Psalter (Hatton 12) in Eng. Writings (1931) 12 Wonderfulle cryinge, þat falles tille contemplatif lyf.
a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 298 Blood-letyng..falliþ for oure craft, þouȝ we for pride take it to barbouris & to wommen.
a1450 (?a1300) Richard Coer de Lyon (Caius) (1810) l. 1392 An engyne..And al the takyl that therto fel.
a1450 York Plays (1885) 304 White clothis we saie fallis for a fonned ladde.
a1475 Bk. Curtasye (Sloane 1986) l. 640 in Babees Bk. (2002) i. 321 Speke I wylle of oþer mystere Þat falles to court.
?1506 Lytell Geste how Plowman Lerned Pater Noster (de Worde) He coude..daube a wall With all thynge that to husbondry dyde fall.
1614 W. Browne Shepheards Pipe i. sig. B4 He..buried was with such solemnity, As fell to his Imperiall dignity.
(b) intransitive. impersonal, or with anticipatory it as subject and clause as complement. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 14364 Ne falleþþ itt. Rihht nohht till þe lef Moderr.
a1325 St. Juliana (Corpus Cambr.) 9 in C. D'Evelyn & A. J. Mill S. Eng. Legendary (1956) 62 Hit ne uel [a1350 Ashm. ualleð] noȝt to me..to beo [altered to be] ispoused to þe.
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 9165 Þe bones hii bere..& bured is þere vaire inou, as vel to an kinge.
a1400 (c1300) Northern Homily: Serm. on Gospels (Coll. Phys.) in Middle Eng. Dict. at Fallen It falles mihty to king, That messager word of him bring.
c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Huntington HM 137) (1873) C. xix. l. 186 Hit falleþ nat me to lye.
1428 in J. Raine Vol. Eng. Misc. N. Counties Eng. (1890) 10 Als falleȝ a trew merchaunt to doo.
?1536 ( Jack Upland l. 78 in W. W. Skeat Chaucerian & Other Pieces (1897) 193 Dede men shuld have but graves, as falleth to dede men.
1563 B. Googe Eglogs Epytaphes & Sonettes sig. H.iii She..supped well as falleth for her state.
b. intransitive. With to, on, upon. Of a task, duty, burden, etc.: to be the responsibility of the specified person. Frequently with anticipatory it as subject and infinitive as complement.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > duty or obligation > [verb (transitive)] > fall as a duty upon
falla1402
attach1753
devolve1769
a1402 J. Trevisa tr. Dialogus Militem et Clericum (Harl.) 23 Þanne hit falliþ to vs to take hede of ȝoure temporalte.
1483 Mirk's Festial (Caxton) sig. hviiv It fyl to cryst to dysceyue hym [sc. the fende] where thorugh alle mankynde shal be broughte to blisse.
c1540 J. Bellenden tr. H. Boece Hyst. & Cron. Scotl. xii. vi. f. clxxvv/2 At last it fel to Makduf thane of Fif to big his part of ye said castel.
1599 J. Minsheu Pleasant Dialogues Spanish & Eng. 59 in R. Percyvall & J. Minsheu Spanish Gram. Do you knowe when we watch?.. This night it fals to the companie.
1641 Bp. J. Hall Def. Humble Remonstr. xiii. 98 This Piece of the task fell unhappily upon some dull and tedious hand.
1646 R. Bacon Spirit of Prelacie 9 They told me they were sorry that it fell on them to be employed in such a service, yet being under command they must obey.
1694 tr. F. Martens Voy. Spitzbergen 162 in Narbrough's Acct. Several Late Voy. The Loss or Gain falls upon the Merchants.
1729 T. Bird Lett. from Shades 5 The Person on whom this difficult Task fell, and who was most capable to perform it, was an unhappy Old Woman.
1786 Ess. Forms of Writings, or of Securities & Conveyances i. 84 If the action of sale be brought by an apparent heir of the debtor, the expence falls on him.
1841 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 2 i. 25 It falls rather to the Zoologist than to the Botanist to notice them.
1885 Law Times 79 188/2 The expense..must fall upon the purchaser.
1908 Michigan Farmer 16 May 522/1 Often this work falls to the gentler sex.
1947 Scotsman 4 Oct. 3/5 The gravest responsibility and the greatest blame fell upon the Government.
2012 G. Rodriguez & J. Glatzer Pregnancy Project iii. 42 It fell on us to take care of them because no one else would.
c. intransitive. Originally Scottish and English regional (northern); now chiefly Law. With passive infinitive: to need to be done. Less commonly with active infinitive: to have a duty or obligation to do something.Sometimes difficult to distinguish from sense 56b.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > duty or obligation > [verb (intransitive)]
haveeOE
oweOE
byrc1175
needc1395
busc1400
had needa1425
behovec1475
fall1681
note1789
ought1816
oughta1840
the mind > will > necessity > must of necessity [verb (intransitive)] > be absolutely compelled or obliged
shallc888
moteOE
must?c1225
bida1300
maunc1480
fall1681
get1767
1681 Brief Acct. His Sacred Majesties Descent 4 This Seclusion being Exhaeredatio, it falls to be considered, what is necessarily required before such a disinheriting can be in my sence Lawfull.
a1694 A. Balfour Lett. (1700) ii. 34 At Mouline (where you will fall to Dine) enquire for the monasterie.
1767 Speeches Lords of Council & Session in Scotl. upon Cause Duke of Hamilton 157 It falls to be noticed, That the two proofs of pregnancy and delivery mutually assist each other, and establish the one great point sought after.
1848 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Nov. 536 These countries would fall to be excluded.
1852 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 13 i. 2 A charge of two cents an acre..fell to be paid by the allottees.
1889 E. Peacock Gloss. Words Manley & Corringham, Lincs. (ed. 2) (at cited word) When Tom went to prison, his mother fell to keep his bairns.
1952 Press & Jrnl. (Aberdeen) 15 Mar. Fencing, dung,..ploughing of the fallow land will fall to be taken over at valuation.
1964 Mod. Law Rev. 28 iii. 334 This view has never fallen to be tested.
2010 Cambr. Law Jrnl. 69 3 Such findings..will form part of the background against which any judicial assessment..falls to be made.
39. intransitive. Usually with into or in. Of a thought, idea, plan, etc.: to enter a person's mind or heart, esp. suddenly or unexpectedly; to occur to a person. Also occasionally: to come into a person's experience, notice, etc.; to be encountered or experienced (cf. to fall in a person's path (also road, etc.) at Phrases 1h).
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > causation > chance or causelessness > chance [verb (intransitive)]
fallc1175
hapa1393
luckc1438
happenc1450
chance1536
to chop upon1555
hazard1575
alight1591
chop1652
lucken1674
the world > existence and causation > causation > chance or causelessness > chance [verb (intransitive)] > come about by chance
alimpOE
fallc1175
fortunec1369
chance1393
hapa1398
to fall profitc1475
adventurec1540
to fall out1556
befall1591
befortunea1616
happen1833
random1921
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > movement towards a thing, person, or position > reaching a point or place > reach a point or place [verb (intransitive)] > arrive > by chance > specifically of things
fallc1175
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 2505 All onn ane wise fell. Till eȝȝþerr þeȝȝress herrte.
c1390 W. Hilton Mixed Life (Vernon) in C. Horstmann Yorkshire Writers (1895) I. 284 (MED) Veyn ymaginacions fallyng [c1440 Thornton fallande] in to þi mynde.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 15483 How muȝt hit falle in þi hert to be-gyn suche a dede.
1483 ( tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage of Soul (Caxton) (1859) v. i. 71 It myghte not fall in no mans mynde fully to descryuen it.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 544/1 I wyll nat do but as it falleth in my brayne.
1590 J. Smythe Certain Disc. Weapons 23 b I will..answere as many of them [sc. objections] as shall fall into my memorie.
1592 A. Day 2nd Pt. Eng. Secretorie sig. D1v, in Eng. Secretorie (rev. ed.) He fell into your notice.
1630 P. Massinger Renegado ii. iv. sig. D4v Nor can it fall in my imagination, What wrong I ere haue done you.
1656 T. Burton Diary (1828) I. 43 A matter of the like nature cannot possibly fall before you, as private persons.
1765 S. Johnson Plays of Shakespeare I. 268/2 A choice not hasty, but considerate, not declared as soon as it fell into the imagination, but suffered to work long in the mind.
1843 Pioneer Mar. 122/1 I do not know how the idea fell into my mind.
1874 Ladies' Repository Jan. 56/1 The thought fell into my soul that I must hasten and ransom her.
1986 P. D. James Taste for Death i. i. 18 The half-remembered phrases fell into her mind.
2012 Observer (Nexis) 1 Jan. (Review section) 15 The plot just fell into my head, quite complete.
40.
a. intransitive. With into, among, amongst. To enter into the company of or begin to associate with the specified (esp. disreputable or undesirable) people, usually by chance. Cf. also to fall in 6a(a) at Phrasal verbs 1.In to fall among thieves often with allusion to Luke 10:30 (see quot. c1384).
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > movement towards a thing, person, or position > reaching a point or place > reach a point or place [verb (intransitive)] > arrive > by chance
falla1225
a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 79 A mon lihte from ierusalem in to ierico and fol imong þoues.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Luke x. 30 Sum man cam doun fro Jerusalem in to Jerico, and felde among theuues [1535 Coverdale fell amonge murthurers, 1611 King James fel among theeues; L. incidit in latrones].
1510 A. Chertsey tr. Floure Commaundementes of God (de Worde) i. xlvi. f. cxvi They were out of the way and fell amonge theues the whiche toke from them al theyr godes.
?1567 M. Parker Whole Psalter sig. C.iiij By chaunce thou fallest amonges thyne enemies, & yet hast fortunably escaped them.
1592 A. Day 2nd Pt. Eng. Secretorie sig. G1v, in Eng. Secretorie (rev. ed.) I sithence fell into company.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) iii. vi. 72 Be sprightly, for you fall 'mongst Friends. View more context for this quotation
1638 T. Herbert Some Yeares Trav. (rev. ed.) 84 [He] falls among five hundred light horse of Curroons and perishes.
1768 A. Ross Fortunate Shepherdess ii. 94 I fell amo' my feas.
1820 Lessons of Thrift 217 An unlucky acquaintance of mine..fell into a company of mining projectors, who persuaded him to embark with them in searching for coal under his land.
1879 M. E. Braddon Cloven Foot xxvi I fell among thieves, and got cleaned out.
1902 Times Lit. Suppl. 12 Dec. 373/1 He falls among a group of artists and literary men, poor but honest.
1987 Times 28 Aug. 16/1 Once upon a time he was an insecure loudmouth; then he fell among born-again Christians.
2005 Observer (Nexis) 9 Jan. 21 There was trouble with the eldest, who by his early teens had fallen into bad company and was playing truant.
†b. intransitive. With to, unto, till. To become a companion, follower, or adherent of the specified person or group; spec. to defect to. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > dissent > absence of dissension or peace > bringing about concord or peace > bring to peace (strife or discord) [verb (transitive)] > reconcile (people) > make one's peace with
falla1400
settle1527
the world > action or operation > easiness > aid, help, or assistance > support > support or encouragement > support or encourage [verb (transitive)] > be adherent of > become adherent of
falla1400
addict1542
espouse1595
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 15131 We se þe folk alle fall till him.
1429–30 Rolls of Parl.: Henry VI (Electronic ed.) Parl. Sept. 1429 §27. m. 11 If my lorde of Bedford, or of Glouc', haldyng that oo partie, thowe it be the lesse, wolle sturre þat other partie be reson to falle unto hem.
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 864 (MED) As a felaw or a frynde fallis to a-nothire.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) 1 Chron. xiii. C Of Manasses there fell certaine vnto Dauid.
1557 Malory's Story Noble & Worthy Kynge Arthur (Copland) i. xviii To them fell kynge Ryence of North Wales.
1611 Bible (King James) 2 Kings vii. 4 Let vs fall vnto the host of the Syrians. View more context for this quotation
1643 H. Palmer Necessity of Venturing for Churches Help 12 Multitudes of professed Neuters, ready to fall to the enemies, where ever they shall appear stronger.
c. intransitive. With on, upon, †into. Originally: (of a nation, society, etc.) to enter into an age or era of the specified (esp. turbulent or unfavourable) nature; (of a person) to be born into such an age or era. Now usually: to begin to experience a period of time of the specified (esp. adverse) nature; esp. in to fall on (also upon) hard times.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > occurrence > [verb (intransitive)] > happen in a period of specific character
fall1550
1550 J. Hooper Godly Confession sig. E.ivv Now are we fallen into the last time & end of the world.
1571 E. Grant tr. Plutarch President for Parentes sig. E.vii Carolus the fifth, August, & Ferdinandus Cæsar (which fell into such turbulent times, wherin the great confusion of the monarchie inuaded al orders as wel ciuil as spiritual).
1633 Bp. J. Hall Plaine Explic. Hard Texts ii. 370 Ye are now falne into a time, wherein there is much opposition to Christ.
1659 D. Stokes Paraphrasticall Explic. Prophets 333 Wo is me, that I am fallen upon so unhappy an age, wherein there are few or none to be seen, that love and fear God!
1751 S. Johnson Rambler No. 146. 113 He has written with too little indulgence to the understanding of common readers: he has fallen upon an age in which false taste universally prevails.
1844 B. Disraeli Coningsby III. vi. ii. 13 The degenerate days on which he had fallen.
1869 Public Opinion 10 July 33/2 The subscription remains unpaid,..because the volunteer has fallen upon hard times.
1888 M. Arnold Ess. Crit. 2nd Ser. iii. 91 Gray, a born poet, fell upon an age of prose.
1966 E. E. Morison Men, Machines & Mod. Times ii. 44 We seem to have fallen on times similar to theirs, when many of the existing forms and schemes have lost meaning in the face of dramatically altering circumstances.
1971 B. Biermann Red Wine 146 In the hands of strangers the buildings fell on evil days.
2011 Daily Tel. 12 July 29/7 His church, assuming he had fallen on hard times, organised a whip-round to buy him a new jumper.
41.
a. intransitive. Usually with under, within, or into. To belong to or be included under the specified classification, category, topic, etc.; to be classified in the specified way; to come within a particular range or scope. Also with outside in the converse sense.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > kind or sort > generality > condition or state of being inclusive > include [verb (transitive)] > be included under or among
fall?c1225
to come under ——1577
the world > relative properties > kind or sort > generality > condition or state of being inclusive > include [verb (transitive)] > be included under or among > come within the scope of
fall?c1225
to lie in, within1712
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 164 Þe oðer & þe feorðe [temptation] falleð under þe utter.
a1402 J. Trevisa tr. R. Fitzralph Defensio Curatorum (Harl.) (1925) 49 (MED) Siche medeful dedes may falle vnder comaundement & heeste.
a1475 J. Fortescue Governance of Eng. (Laud) (1885) 125 (MED) Riche furres, oþer than be wonned to fall vndre þe yerely charges off his warderober.
a1535 T. More Dialoge of Comfort (1553) ii. iii. sig. F.vv All maner of tribulacion Cosin that any man can haue..falleth vnder some one at ye least of these three kindes.
1570 J. Dee in H. Billingsley tr. Euclid Elements Geom. sig. A.ijv My Natiue Countrey men..so hardly, can disgest or like any extraordinary course of Philosophicall Studies: not falling within the Cumpasse of their Capacitie.
1586 A. Day Eng. Secretorie i. sig. M1 Epistles..Reconciliatorie..doe, for the moste parte, fall into the Swasorie or Disswasorie kinde.
1610 W. Folkingham Feudigraphia i. x. 31 The various sorts of Marles..doe all of them fall vnder the two former kinds.
1623 W. Rawley Serm. Meekenesse 38 This Estate of Meekenesse, falls into three of these Orders, and is both a Morall Vertue, one of the Fruits of the Spirit, and a Beatitude.
1688 Lett. conc. Present St. Italy 92 This was indeed a matter that could fall within the Popes understanding.
1707 W. Darrell Gentleman Instructed: 2nd Pt. iii. 46 You profess one Religion, and approve all; and so fall into the Class of Latitudinarians.
1771 ‘Junius’ Stat Nominis Umbra (1772) II. xliv. 164 There may be instances..which do not fall within my own exceptions.
1818 W. Cruise Digest Laws Eng. Real Prop. (ed. 2) II. 281 The present limitation..does not fall under either of these heads.
1845 M. Pattison in Christian Remembrancer Jan. 82 A charge..such..as should fall within this penalty.
1932 S. Duke-Elder Text-bk. Ophthalmol. I. xxv. 982 Achromatopsia falls into a completely different category from dichromatic vision.
1944 O. Glasser Med. Physics 502 Other cytologic effects of radiation..are generally considered to fall outside the scope of radiogenetics.
2002 N.Y. Mag. 25 Mar. 94/1 These days, cleansing, sloughing, stimulating, relaxing, lasering, and peeling all fall under the heading of facials.
b. intransitive. To be naturally divisible into a number of parts or categories.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > action of dividing or divided condition > divide [verb (intransitive)] > be naturally divisible (into parts)
fall1615
1615 J. Boys 3rd Pt. Expos. Festivall Epistles & Gospels 40 This Scripture being a dialogue betweene Christ and his Apostles, of it owne accord falleth into two questions, and two answeres vnto those questions.
a1656 Bp. J. Hall Shaking of Olive-tree (1660) ii. 66 The Text falls into these parts so naturally.
1789 J. Pinkerton Enq. Hist. Scotl. II. v. iii. 205 This subject falls into two parts: I. The loss of Caithness, the Orkneys, and Hebudes. II. The acquisitions on the south.
1862 Temple Bar 6 388 The subject..falls into four divisions.
1876 F. G. Fleay Shakespeare Man. ii. i. 128 The plays fall distinctly into four periods.
1930 J. R. Tanner Tudor Constit. Documents 121 The religious history of Mary's reign falls into two phases.
1967 E. Short Embroidery & Fabric Collage iii. 81 Curtains similarly fall into two main categories, namely opaque and transparent.
2012 L. Ryken et al. Pastors in Classics ii. 138 His life falls roughly into two parts of equal length.
†42. intransitive. To have a tendency or inclination (towards a condition, towards God, etc.); to tend, incline. Also (of the heart): to incline; to become desirous. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) v. l. 3171 (MED) Whan he [sc. Achilles] the bryhte helm behield..His herte fell therto anon.
a1400 Ancrene Riwle (Pepys) (1976) 64 (MED) Vche man schulde be fallande to god ward.
c1425 Edward, Duke of York Master of Game (Vesp. B.xii) (1904) 5 (MED) For þe Imagynaciouns of man rather falleth to euel than to good.
a1450 (c1410) H. Lovelich Hist. Holy Grail l. xxvi. 398 (MED) Westward..My herte falleth.
a1500 (?a1425) tr. Secreta Secret. (Lamb.) 117 (MED) Þat man..ys whit, fallyng toward reednesse.
43. intransitive. Of a point, line, etc.: to have a specified position. Of an accent, stress, or emphasis: to be placed on a specified part of a word, phrase, idea, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > position or situation > be positioned or situated [verb (intransitive)] > eventually
fall1570
1570 H. Billingsley tr. Euclid Elements Geom. i. f. 17 The poynt D shall fall [L. cadet] either within the triangle ABC, or without.
1589 G. Puttenham Arte Eng. Poesie ii. iii. 60 The Cesure fals iust in the middle.
1589 G. Puttenham Arte Eng. Poesie ii. iii*. 65 Your sharpe accent falles vpon the last sillable.
1612 Mr. King tr. Benvenuto Passenger To Rdr. sig. A In cases of doubt, where the accent should be placed ouer the first, or ouer the last Syllable,..although the proper office thereof is to fall with the last Sillable.
1674 J. Playford Introd. Skill Musick (ed. 7) ii. 103 Where stops are wide, the fourth or little finger is of more use, than lower down, where the stops fall more close.
1705 G. Cheyne Philos. Princ. Nat. Relig. §42. 245 Birds..lay their Heads under their Wings, that so the Center of the gravity..may fall upon the Foot they stand on.
1814 J. Playfair Outl. Nat. Philos. II. i. i. 17 When the perpendicular..falls within the triangle.
1875 F. A. G. Ouseley Treat. Harmony (ed. 2) iv. 61 Causes the Semitones to fall between the 3rd and 4th.
1936 M. H. Maguire in Ess. Hist. & Polit. Theory 200 Otho's emphasis fell on the point of answering truly every question that might be asked.
1989 New Scientist 12 Aug. 51/1 If we place T without rotating it anywhere on the page, then T overlaps Q if the datum point falls inside the heptagon H.
2015 E. Gorokhova Russ. Tattoo 71 ‘I don't hate everything,’ I say, but the stress falls on the last word.
V. To pass into, or come to be in, a particular state or condition; to begin to be or do something specified, and related senses.
†44. intransitive. With into, to, on. To change into something, esp. something worse or that is the opposite. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
OE tr. Defensor Liber Scintillarum (1969) xiv. 146 Iustitia si modum non habet in crudelitatem cadit: rihtwisnyss gif heo gemet næfð on wælhreownysse fealð.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) Prol. l. 121 Love is falle into discord.
c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Huntington HM 137) (1873) C. xxi. l. 108 Ȝoure fraunchise þat freo was fallen [c1400 Trin. Cambr. R.3.14 y-fallen] is to þraldom.
a1425 (?c1350) Ywain & Gawain (1964) l. 2976 Ever onane þai weped all, Als þai wald to water fall.
1592 A. Day 2nd Pt. Eng. Secretorie sig. D2v, in Eng. Secretorie (rev. ed.) Your writing..falleth otherwise to a manner of reproching.
a1644 F. Quarles Judgem. & Mercy (1646) 19 New married friendship falls into divorce, and joyn'd acquaintance soone resolves into the first Elements of strangenesse.
45.
a. To pass into or come to be in a specified state or condition, typically one which is unfavourable (as illness, poverty, decay, danger, etc.) or which comes about naturally or in the course of events (as silence, sleep, friendship, etc.).
(a) intransitive. With into (also to, in, upon, †on, †till). Also: †with fixed prepositional phrases, usually with reference to mental disturbance or disorder (as to fall out of one's mind, to fall beside oneself, etc.) (obsolete).For uses with out of referring to passing out of a particular state or condition, see sense 45b.In quot. c1400 in figurative context, with reference to succumbing to bribery. Although various interpretations of this line have been suggested, it seems most likely to belong here; see G. Kane Piers Plowman Gloss. (2005), p. 65/2.to fall in love: see love n.1 Phrases 2a.Examples of falling into error, temptation, etc., are treated at sense 33b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > change > change [verb (intransitive)] > pass into state, become > get into specified condition
becomec888
fallOE
turnc1540
change1583
to get into ——1657
the world > time > change > change to something else, transformation > sudden or complete change > change suddenly [verb (intransitive)]
fallOE
leap?c1225
chop1657
slop1900
OE Poenitentiale Theodori & Capitula d'Acheriana (Brussels) in F. J. Mone Quellen u. Forschungen zur Geschichte der teutschen Literatur u. Sprache (1830) 520 Gyf hwylc man on his geðohtum oððe of his gewitte feole, and him gelimpe þat he man ofslea.
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 166 He..swa feol into unhope.
c1330 (?c1300) Speculum Guy (Auch.) (1898) l. 778 (MED) Last þu falle þerfore in blame.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 29 (MED) Makeþ him ualle ine ane feure.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 20496 All þar fell to slepe onan.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 3563 Quen þat he bicomis alde, Til vnweild bigines to falle.
c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B iv. l. 156 Waryn wisdome wynked vppon Mede, And seide, ‘Madame, I am ȝowre man what so my mouth iangleth; I falle in floreines’, quod þat freke, ‘an faile speche ofte.’
c1430 (c1386) G. Chaucer Legend Good Women (Cambr. Gg.4.27) (1879) l. 590 He was fallyn in prosperite.
a1475 How Good Man taught his Son (Harl. 5396) l. 64 in W. C. Hazlitt Remains Early Pop. Poetry Eng. (1864) I. 171 Comon women..Maks ȝongmen..fulle yn danger.
1509 A. Barclay Brant's Shyp of Folys (Pynson) f. xiiii They fall out of theyr mynde.
c1515 Ld. Berners tr. Bk. Duke Huon of Burdeux (1882–7) li. 172 I am fallen in to pouerte and mysery.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 544/1 He is fallen all on a sweate.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry IV f. xiiii The Abbot of Westminster..fell in a sodaine palsey.
1569 R. Grafton Chron. II. 136 He fell to agreement with the French king.
1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball iii. xxvi. 352 Them that waxe mad or fall beside themselves.
1631 J. Weever Anc. Funerall Monuments 691 Leyland..fell besides his wits.
1655 E. Nicholas Nicholas Papers (1892) II. 298 I am fallen into an acquaintance with a most eminent Leueller.
1688 R. Levison Untimely Repentance 23 As he spoke he fell out of his Senses, he has lost his speech, his eyes are set in his head, he breaths no more.
1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 7. ¶2 I fell into a profound Contemplation.
1761 D. Hume Hist. Eng. III. liv. 167 He found everything fallen into such confusion.
1817 W. Selwyn Abridgem. Law Nisi Prius (ed. 4) II. 1227 The form of declaring with a continuando has fallen into disuse.
a1862 H. T. Buckle Hist. Civilisation Eng. (1873) III. iv. 192 The religious servitude into which the Scotch fell.
1879 M. J. Guest Lect. Hist. Eng. xxxi. 306 The tribute..had fallen into arrears.
1889 A. V. Carr Margaret Maliphant II. xx. 103 The wane of the day had fallen into dusk.
1906 E. Phillpotts Portreeve iii. xiv. 410 He fell once more upon a fitful gloom.
1933 N.Y. Times 27 Aug. 19/2 Another young Welshman..went up to the same Oxford college at the same time, and the two fell into a friendship.
1990 C. R. Johnson Middle Passage (1991) iv. 85 Baleka had finally fallen to sleep in a corner.
2011 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 25 Sept. (T Style Mag.) 86/2 The Seventh District in recent decades has fallen into decay and neglect.
(b) intransitive. With adjectival or adverbial complement: to become ill, vacant, etc.See also Phrases 2. to fall asleep: see asleep adv. and adj. 2. to fall due: see due adj. 1b. to fall foul: see foul adj. Phrases 1a. to fall mad: see mad adj. Phrases 3. to fall short: see short adv. 7c. to fall silent: see silent adj. and n. Phrases 3.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > change > change [verb (intransitive)] > pass into state, become
yworthOE
worthOE
goOE
becomec1175
come?a1200
waxc1220
charea1225
aworthc1275
makea1300
fallc1300
breedc1325
grow1340
strikea1375
yern1377
entera1382
turna1400
smitec1400
raxa1500
resolvea1500
to get into ——?1510
waxen1540
get1558
prove1560
proceed1578
befall1592
drop1654
evade1677
emerge1699
to turn out1740
to gain into1756
permute1864
slip1864
c1300 Pilate (Harl.) l. 227 in F. J. Furnivall Early Eng. Poems & Lives Saints (1862) 117 (MED) Þo pilatus..iseȝ his bodie alforswarted, his hurte ful ful cold.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1959) Gen. xxvi. 13 Þe man fell riche [L. locupletatus est homo].
c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Wife of Bath's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) Prol. l. 786 But at the laste..We fille acorded by vs seluen two.
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 856 Philip falne [was] sare seke.
c1515 Ld. Berners tr. Bk. Duke Huon of Burdeux (1882–7) clxii. 629 (heading) To fal aquaynted with the fayre damoysel.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 545/1 My lorde entendeth to gyve him the nexte benyfyce that falleth voyde.
1534 tr. Constit. Otho in Lyndewode's Constit. Prouincialles f. 109v A fat benefyce hath chaunce to fall vacant.
1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 307 The King fel exceeding angry.
1621 M. Wroth Countesse of Mountgomeries Urania i. 36 She fell ill, not sicke in body, but dead in heart.
1658 W. Johnson tr. F. Würtz Surgeons Guid ii. xi. 89 When a party is wounded in the Back..he fals lame.
1718 M. Prior Solomon on Vanity iii, in Poems Several Occasions (new ed.) 488 The Winds fall silent; and the Waves decrease.
1751 T. Smollett Peregrine Pickle I. vii. 50 She fell sick of sorrow and mortification.
a1834 W. Beckford Portuguese Jrnl. 8 Nov. (1954) 263 It fell dark.
1858 T. Carlyle Hist. Friedrich II of Prussia I. iii. iii. 209 The Teutsch Ritters were fallen moneyless.
1879 J. A. Froude Cæsar xviii. 303 All the offices fell vacant together.
1940 Economist 20 July 73/1 Houses and shops have fallen empty; tradesmen and small businesses are hard hit.
1974 Aiken (S. Carolina) Standard 18 Apr. 4-c/4 Then the grandstand falls silent.
2010 Times 28 Oct. 44/5 Her daughter..fell sick after drinking water from a local canal.
†(c) intransitive. With complement preceded by to be. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
c1350 (a1333) William of Shoreham Poems (1902) 142 Ȝef þe falleþ to be eyr Of a regne mechel and fayr, More hys þy prou.
c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. xvi. l. 94 (MED) Pieres fruit floured and fel to be ripe.
1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. John f. 42 Our mynde ought not so to be delited in the contemplacion of hye thynges that we fall to be careles of our common stocke.
1574 J. Jones Briefe Disc. Growing & Liuing Things sig. E.iv Of distemperatue of the body,..euil passions do spring, as to often it is seene in them yt fall to be sicke of Phrensie, Madnes, Melancolia.
1617 T. Everard tr. F. Arias in J. Sweetnam tr. A. de Molina Treat. Mental Prayer 269 A man..looseth the feruour and deuotion of good life, and falleth to be cold and careles.
1663 B. Gerbier Counsel to Builders 44 The peeres of Brick or Stone between them [sc. window-cases], will fall to be of a fit width.
a1715 Bp. G. Burnet Hist. Own Time (1724) I. 317 William fell to be in ill terms with his mother.
1887 R. L. Stevenson Misadv. J. Nicholson iv. 6 The memory of his faults had already fallen to be one of those old aches.
(d) intransitive. With noun complement (usually without determiner). Later frequently in to fall heir.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > legal right > right of possession or ownership > right to succeed to title, position, or estate > succession > cause to descend by succession [verb (transitive)] > cause to descend by inheritance > inherit
to come to ——eOE
eritage1382
heritage1382
inherita1400
herita1533
to fall heir1701
1493 (c1410) Dives & Pauper (Pynson) viii. vi. sig. Ei/2 Nowe they speke gode of a man, whyle the lorde is his frende And if he falle enemy to hym, anone they speke him harme and velonye.
1583 Sir T. Smith's De Republica Anglorum iii. v. 97 By the death of the father the childe falleth warde vnto him.
1591–2 Ld. Bacon Let. in J. Spedding Lett. & Life Bacon (1861) I. 116 His eldest son is fallen ward.
1606 G. W. tr. Justinus Hist. 29 b At last they fal friends out of a voluntarie consent.
1628 O. Felltham Resolves: 2nd Cent. xix. sig. L8 'Tis gaine..that makes man fall a Traitor.
1701 tr. Last Will & Codicil of Charles II. King of Spain 7 If the Duke of Anjou happen to die, or fall Heir to that Crown, and prefer it to this of Spain, the Succession of Spain shall go to the Duke of Berry.
1886 J. J. H. Burgess Shetland Sketches & Poems 20 Guid gaird my sowl, boy! I tink doo's faa'n a fül.
1891 Harper's Mag. Dec. 100/2 The elder..eventually fell heir to a certain estate.
1911 G. W. Staunton & F. M. Stenton Family of Staunton iii. 42 William..being a minor, by tenure of his lands, fell ward to Edward, then Earl of Rutland.
2005 Times 20 Apr. 7/5 He failed to cope successfully with the political difficulties to which he fell heir.
b. intransitive. With out of. To cease to be in a particular state or condition; to pass out of favour, fashion, use, etc.In many instances, out of and its complement function as a unit (for example, fall out of favour could be analysed as showing fall and the complement out of favour (out of favour at favour n. 1c)), and fall approaches the sense ‘become’ (cf. sense 45a).to fall out of love: see love n.1 Phrases 2d. to fall out of lease: to cease to be held on lease (now historical).
ΘΚΠ
society > law > legal right > right of possession or ownership > tenure of property > have tenure of property [verb (intransitive)] > cease to be held on lease
to fall out of lease1694
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 219 Man..fel..out of homlynesse into offence and wreþþe.
c1400 ( Canticum Creatione l. 283 in C. Horstmann Sammlung Altengl. Legenden (1878) 127 (MED) Alle þe angelis herden þis Þat fellen wiþ me out of blis.
a1500 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Trin. Dublin) l. 2323 (MED) Fro þat my fader was fey & fallyn [c1450 Ashm. farre] out of lyve.
?1520 tr. Peter of Luxembourg Next Way to Heuen sig. C.iiiv Yf ye fall out of good purpose goo hastly vnto confessyon.
1542 T. Becon Newes out of Heauen sig. D.i You..shall neuer after this perysshe & fall out of fauour, but haue eternall lyfe.
a1617 P. Baynes Comm. Epist. First Chapter Paul to Ephesians (1918) 357 If a man fall out of a dead Palsie into a light Phrensie, [etc.].
1694 H. Booth Wks. 31 It happened through the negligence or perverseness of the Tenant that the Tenement fell out of Lease.
a1732 T. Boston View Covenant Grace (1734) iii. 235 They can no more fall out of their State of Grace, than the Saints in Heaven can.
1837 Jrnl. Royal Asiatic Soc. 4 343 Some words and expressions..have fallen out of use.
a1868 H. Meade Ride through Disturbed Districts N.Z. (1870) ii. 35 The custom of tattooing is now falling out of fashion.
1885 Manch. Evening News 6 July 2/2 Land has fallen out of cultivation.
1939 Scotsman 6 Apr. 6/6 It is proposed to constitute 117 holdings, mainly of the ‘family farm’ type, in the course of years as subjects fall out of lease.
1988 Guardian (Nexis) 19 Jan. Last October, the most important work by the great French novelist Marcel Proust fell out of copyright and into the public domain.
2009 J. Struthers Red Sky at Night 183 This is a classic North Country dish, although it's fallen out of favour in recent years.
46. intransitive. Usually with under. To be subject to the specified action, influence, treatment, or attitude, (now) esp. something negative such as criticism or censure.to fall under discussion: see discussion n. Phrases 1. to fall under the cognizance of: see cognizance n. 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > operation upon something > have effect on [verb (transitive)] > be subjected to or undergo an action
fallc1175
receivec1330
to stand upon ——a1393
suffera1425
to come under ——a1475
the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of ideation > topic, subject-matter > be occupied with a topic [verb (intransitive)] > be or become a topic
fall1680
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 928 He falleþþ wissliȝ forr þatt gillt. I godess wraþþe. & wræche.
a1425 (?a1400) Bk. Priue Counseling in P. Hodgson Cloud of Unknowing (1944) 145 (MED) Þe frute of þis worching is hiȝe goostly wisdom, sodenly & frely riftid of þe spirit inly in it-self & vnformid, ful fer fro fantasie, inpossible to be streinid or to falle vnder þe worching of naturele witte.
1491 Quattuor Serm. sig. Aiiij/2, in Mirk's Festialis (Caxton) Afore al thyng sayth saynt James swere ye not, leest ye fall vnder the dome of god.
1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. clxix. 207 He fell agayne into the princes love.
1605 F. Bacon Of Aduancem. Learning i. sig. E2v To speake vnto such as doe fall vnder, or neere vnto, a popular obseruation. View more context for this quotation
1654 R. Whitlock Ζωοτομία 222 Their modus operandi..doth not fall under Demonstration.
1680 W. Temple Ess. Advancem. Trade Ireland in Wks. (1731) I. 109 I know not what it was that fell into Discourse t'other Day.
1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 44. ¶5 Absurdities..as ridiculous as that which falls under our present Censure.
1739 J. Campbell Trav. of Edward Brown 132 The Holy Office..is superabundantly severe towards such as fall under its Displeasure.
1806 Med. & Physical Jrnl. 15 561 This..work would not have fallen within the notice of our department, had it not been [etc.].
1839 G. Bird Elements Nat. Philos. Introd. 35 These..states of matter will fall under our observation.
1918 Trans. Royal Hist. Soc. 4 1 199 He fell under the influence of the drunken old reprobate.
1976 Times Lit. Suppl. 16 July 875/3 Fanaticism falls under equally severe condemnation.
2001 B. Rosner & F. C. Tubach Uncommon Friendship ii. 28 Not only his prayers but also his eating habits fell under her scrutiny.
47.
a. To begin to do something, esp. suddenly, spontaneously, or unintentionally; esp. (a) to begin speaking, laughing, crying, etc.; (b) to become engaged in conversation, to enter into discussion or debate; (c) to enter into disagreement or conflict.
(a) intransitive. With preposition (now usually into or in) and simple noun as complement.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > undertaking > beginning action or activity > begin or enter upon (an action) [verb (transitive)] > begin an action or fall to doing something
fangc888
goOE
fallc1175
to fall upon ——a1398
to take upa1400
fall?c1450
to fall out ina1555
get1751
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 11974 Inn idell ȝellp to fallenn.
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 76 Alswa sesone se ani feoleð into ani luðer speche.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) Prol. l. 372 (MED) Thei falle in gret debat.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) Prol. l. 782 (MED) Thanne upon dissencioun Thei felle.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 14008 Sco fell on suilk a grete, þat al sco was vr lauerd fete.
?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 69 (MED) Thurgh drunkenness þai fall at grete wordes.
1485 Malory's Morte Darthur (Caxton) xxi. xii. sig. eeivv As he laye in his bedd a slepe he fyl vpon a grete laughter.
1525 2 Proph. St. Eng. in F. J. Furnivall Ballads from MSS (1868) I. 306 Fflaunders and England shall fall at decensyoun.
1543 T. Becon New Yeares Gyfte sig. H.viiiv Dauid here bosteth not hym selfe of his good dedes.., but he falleth vnto the prayse of the Lorde.
1572 (a1500) Taill of Rauf Coilȝear (1882) 90 Into sic talk fell thay.
1632 R. Brome Northern Lasse ii. ii Mine Vncle and he fell on other talke, of Lords and Ladies.
1648 R. Herrick Bag of Bee i Two Cupids fell at odds.
1656 B. Harris tr. J. N. de Parival Hist. Iron Age i. iv. xxiv. 145 These two, being both Officers of the same Master, fell to difference.
1709 Tatler No. 68 Some..fall into Laughter out of a certain Benevolence in their Temper.
1741 E. F. Haywood Anti-Pamela 203 We fell into a Chat, and a mutual liking of each other carry'd us into a Tavern.
1845 J. H. Turner tr. E. G. Geijer Hist. Swedes xiv. 200/2 With this disposition it was his destiny to fall at strife with two brothers and a nephew.
1876 R. L. Stevenson in Cornhill Mag. June 689 You fall in talk with anyone, wise or foolish, drunk or sober.
1879 M. J. Guest Lect. Hist. Eng. xix. 186 Henry fell into one of his fearful rages.
1915 Nash's & Pall Mall Mag. Jan. 273/1 He marked with impatience that Sam and Penrod..had fallen into an argument.
1960 ‘J. Winton’ We saw Sea (1963) i. 13 Mary and Anne together fell into a fit of giggling.
2011 Sydney Morning Herald (Nexis) 8 Jan. (Good Weekend section) 16 He started drinking at the bar, and fell in conversation with the sincere young soldier.
†(b) intransitive. With infinitive. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 31 (MED) Þe wrechche him let ualle to done þe lostes of his ulesse.
c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) Orig. draft l. 647 Tel þou me..al þe soþe as þow art gent & free, & suþþe schalle we to-gadre boþe falle to fiȝte a-ȝe.
?a1425 Constit. Masonry (Royal 17 A.i) l. 26 in J. O. Halliwell Early Hist. Freemasonry in Eng. (1844) 13 These lordys chyldryn therto dede falle, To lurne of hym the craft of gemetry.
?a1475 Ludus Coventriae (1922) 36 (MED) Þat we [read ȝe] ne fall oure lord for to dysplese.
a1568 R. Ascham Scholemaster (1570) i. f. 4v Then will he sonest faul to beate his scholer.
1600 E. Blount tr. G. F. di Conestaggio Hist. Uniting Portugall to Castill 14 Growing to more yeeres, they fell to distrust him.
1687 A. Behn Amours Philander & Silvia 5 At last she found her Hope was gon, and wisely fell to argue with her Soul.
1712 J. Swift Proposal for Eng. Tongue 18 That Licentiousness which..fell to corrupt our Language.
1749 W. Ellis Compl. Syst. Improvem. Sheep 88 If..a Ewe..will not take to her Lamb after she hath yeaned it, ye shall take a little of the Clean of the Ewe..and force the Ewe to eat it..and she will fall to love it naturally.
1870 W. Morris Earthly Paradise I. i. 300 Men fell to play at casting of the stone; And strong men cast it mighty of their hands.
(c) intransitive. With verbal noun or gerund preceded by preposition (now usually to or into; formerly often †a or †on).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > undertaking > beginning action or activity > begin or enter upon (an action) [verb (transitive)] > begin an action or fall to doing something
fangc888
goOE
fallc1175
to fall upon ——a1398
to take upa1400
fall?c1450
to fall out ina1555
get1751
?c1450 tr. Bk. Knight of La Tour Landry (1906) 26 As thei fell in talkinge..one of hem saide [etc.].
a1500 (a1450) Partonope of Blois (BL Add.) (1912) l. 6364 (MED) Þe ladyes tho fell on wepynge.
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid vi. x. 37 Thai fall to wersling on the goldin sand.
1526 C. Mery Talys f. viii This yong gentylman fell a coughing.
1575 G. Gascoigne Glasse of Gouernem. iv. ii. sig. Hiiiiv Assone as euer shee is laid she falleth on snorting.
1583 J. Foxe Actes & Monuments (ed. 4) II. 1667/1 They fell in reasoning more then the space of an houre, of the sacrament.
1635 R. Sibbes Soules Confl. (1638) Pref. 11 Luther when he saw Melancthon..falls a chiding of him.
1644 H. Slingsby Diary (1836) 112 In Marston corn feilds [the Parliamentary army] falls to singing psalms.
1736 W. Ellis London & Country Brewer II. Pref. p. iii He fell into Drinking such Quantities of their Yeasty Ale as made him distracted.
1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones II. v. vi. 165 Mr. Jones now fell a trembling as if he had been shaken with the Fit of an Ague. View more context for this quotation
1853 E. Bulwer-Lytton My Novel I. iv. xi. 313 He fell to patting the mare with great unction.
1885 Cent. Mag. May 25/1 She fell to trembling, and her broken voice lost all the spurious indignation she had put into it.
1919 R. M. Freeman & R. A. Bennett Last Diary Great Warr 120 We coming home, my wife mighty sulky, and presently falls a crying.
1997 Independent 22 Jan. ii. 4/1 He happily falls into chatting about why there should be a preponderance of villains in his career.
2015 R. Zaretsky Boswell's Enlightenment x. 222 The two men embraced one another and almost immediately fell to discussing Corsica.
b. intransitive. With preposition (usually into). To begin to do something regularly or habitually, esp. without planning or intention; to adopt a (bad) habit. Later also analogously with out of: to give up, discontinue, or fail to maintain a practice or habit.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > customary or habitual mode of behaviour > do habitually [verb (transitive)] > take up (a habit)
fall1541
approach1574
form1736
take1742
to take on1886
1541 T. Elyot Image of Gouernance vi. f. 12 We shoulde not beholde you falle into any custome, whiche mought allure you into any yl disposition.
1562 W. Bullein Bk. Use Sicke Men f. lxxiij, in Bulwarke of Defence Who so breake his slepe of his common custome, and fall into moche wakyng in the night.
1692 J. Kirkwood True Interest of Families i. 18 Strive to make them more cautious and circumspect..lest otherwise, they fall into a habit of speaking and acting impertinently and indiscreetly.
1708 W. Bentley Hallifax ii. 34 Such Persons..are apt to fall unto stealing, and other vicious Practices.
1754 Newcastle Gen. Mag. Feb. 89/2 It was a repulse from a lady of great fortune..that made him..neglect his studies, and fall into a habit of drinking.
1851 W. H. Dixon W. Penn viii. 261 The merchants and craftsmen had fallen into the regular exercise of their callings.
1856 J. A. Froude Hist. Eng. I. i. 54 The people..were falling out of archery practice, exchanging it for similar amusements.
1886 A. Sergeant No Saint I. vii. 141 He had fallen into a trick of walking with bent head.
1926 Sci. News-let. 30 Oct. 79/3 Swine farmers have fallen out of the custom of immunizing their hogs.
1947 Washington Post 6 Nov. 8 b/3 Any child..will magnify the facts. He may fall into a pattern of making everything bigger and bigger.
1976 Bradford (Pa.) Era 26 Nov. 10/6 I just kind of fell out of sports.
2012 A. Porter In between Days i. 3 Since his divorce, Elson has fallen into the habit of stopping by the Brunswick Hotel for a quick drink after work.
†c. intransitive. With preposition (usually upon or into). To begin to discuss the specified topic or question. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1581 G. Pettie tr. S. Guazzo Ciuile Conuersat. iii. 38v Seing you are fallen vppon this poynte of restrayning of liberty, I cannot be restrayned from speaking of the abuse of this Cytie.
1625 C. Burges New Discouery Personal Tithes 2 My Purpose is not here to fall vpon that Question.
1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 124. ¶2 We must immediately fall into our Subject.
1741 J. Wesley Wks. (1872) I. 304 They immediately fell upon their favourite Subject.
1828 V. Cary Lett. Female Char. iii. 28 She entered into easy conversation, carefully falling into the subject selected by her mother.
1833 T. Roscoe tr. S. Pellico Imprisonments xl. 99 So he went on from week to week, I bearing with him, partly out of curiosity and partly in the expectation he would fall upon some better topic.
d. intransitive. With preposition (now usually to). To set about or apply oneself to a task or activity. to fall to work: see Phrases 1c.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > undertaking > undertake [verb (transitive)] > tackle or proceed to deal with
entreat?a1450
overtakea1500
to go on ——1508
take1523
to go about ——?1533
to set upon ——1555
fall1589
to turn one's hand1628
to take to task1649
tackle1847
to take on1898
the world > action or operation > undertaking > undertake [verb (transitive)] > a duty, office, or role
enterc1425
to take on (also upon) one(self)1432
fall1589
assume1591
society > occupation and work > working > [verb (intransitive)] > begin working
to fall to work1523
fall1589
to go out1660
to put (also set) to work1694
to turn to1799
the world > action or operation > undertaking > beginning action or activity > begin or enter upon (an action) [verb (transitive)] > set to work upon or begin to deal with
to set about ——a1300
to set upon ——1555
fall1589
to deal on, upon1597
to break up1688
begin1808
to set up1857
1589 M. Philips in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations iii. 580 I came to Siuill, and sought me out a workemaster, that I might fall to my science, which was weauing of taffataes.
1622 F. Bacon Hist. Raigne Henry VII 42 After this Complement, and some gratulation for the Kings victorie, they fell to their errand.
a1644 W. Chillingworth Serm. (1664) ii. 43 He is scarse a man..till he fall a work.
1655 H. L'Estrange Reign King Charles 161 Next they fell upon forming an Act Rescissory.
1664 C. Cotton Scarronides 70 Each knew his Jobbe of Journy-work: And fell about it without Jangling.
1670 J. Narborough Jrnl. in Acct. Several Late Voy. (1711) i. 52 We fall on fitting of our Rigging and getting the Ship fit.
1701 J. Swift Disc. Contests Nobles & Commons iii. 34 These Persons..fell violently upon advancing the Power of the People.
1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 292 We fell to digging.
1836 M. Mackintosh Cottager's Daughter 52 When that she came to the outshot stane she then fell till her wark.
1894 Chums 3 Jan. 302/2 ‘There's heart in that boy after all,’ and with that I fell upon my work.
1922 Atlantic Monthly Apr. 146/2 I fell upon the task.
1933 D. L. Sayers Murder must Advertise i. 18 He propped up the Dairyfields guard-book before him, and fell to studying his predecessor's masterpieces.
1991 L. Hanks Long Texas Night xxix. 298 The men unloaded the wagons and fell to the task of rebuilding.
†48. intransitive. Of an office or position, esp. an ecclesiastical appointment: to become vacant. Cf. to fall vacant at sense 45a(b). Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > office > [verb (intransitive)] > be vacant (of an office) > become vacant
fall1433
society > faith > worship > benefice > [verb (intransitive)] > be or become vacant
voida1380
fall1433
vakec1485
avoid1521
1433 Rolls of Parl.: Henry VI (Electronic ed.) Parl. July 1433 §18. m. 15 To þat entent þat whanne offices or corrodies falle, þat they myght bee yeven to suche persones, [etc.].
1465 in A. Clark Lincoln Diocese Documents (1914) 122 (MED) And if he be a prest, he to be presented, when it fallith, to the Churche of gedney.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 544/1 So sone as thou cannest se any offyce fall, come aske it of the kynge.
1569 S. Batman Christall Glasse Christian Reform. sig. C.jv The common practise (among many) is, no soner any spiritual liuing to fal..that..they neuer cease sute or suing for, till it be by such obtayned.
1665 J. Webb Vindic. Stone-Heng Restored 123 He..returned into England when His Place fell.
a1715 Bp. G. Burnet Hist. Own Time (1724) I. 507 The mastership of the Temple was like to fall.
1813 J. Austen Pride & Prejudice I. xvi. 181 When the living fell, it was given elsewhere. View more context for this quotation
1837 New Monthly Mag. June 285 As other livings fell, and the curate applied, there was always a brother, nephew, or a cousin, between him and his promise.
49. intransitive. colloquial (chiefly British). To become pregnant. Cf. earlier to fall with child at Phrases 1b, to fall pregnant at Phrases 2d; and cf. also to fall for —— 2 at Phrasal verbs 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > biology > biological processes > procreation or reproduction > conception > conceive [verb (intransitive)]
trima1325
conceivec1375
greatenc1390
to fall with child (also bairn)a1464
impregnate1711
start1846
catch1858
fall1891
click1936
to be caught out1957
to fall for ——1957
big1982
1891 J. S. Farmer Slang II. 370/2 Fall (venery), to conceive.
1957 M. Young & P. Willmott in ‘C. H. Rolph’ Human Sum vii. 129 The expression a woman uses when she is pregnant. She says she has ‘fallen’. ‘We had been married eight months before I fell.’
1959 D. Hewett Bobbin Up ii. 13 Thank Christ I'm too old to fall.
2001 T. Parsons One for my Baby (2002) 281 I was seventeen. When I fell with Plum.
50. intransitive. colloquial. To fall in love. Usually with following adverb, as hard, fast, etc. Cf. earlier to fall in love at love n.1 Phrases 2a, to fall for —— 1b at Phrasal verbs 2.
ΚΠ
1916 Moving Picture World 12 Aug. 1126/1 A Mexican senorita of marvelous beauty enters into his life and Archibald falls hard.
1924 P. Marks Plastic Age 148 I fell pretty hard. She was so—er, dainty.
1974 B. Jackson Get your Ass in Water 101 She..fell heart and soul, and wanted to dance with me.
2013 West Austral. (Perth) (Nexis) 12 Mar. 5 She meets developer Duncan (Mark Lee) and falls fast but there is something fishy about him.
VI. To happen, occur, take place.
51.
a. Of an event, action, etc.: to take place, come to pass, happen, occur. Cf. to fall out 5a at Phrasal verbs 1. Now rare in general sense.
(a) intransitive. With the event, action, etc., as subject.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > occurrence > [verb (intransitive)]
becomec888
i-tidec888
falleOE
ywortheOE
i-limp975
belimpOE
i-timeOE
worthOE
tidea1131
goa1200
arearc1275
syec1275
betide1297
fere1297
risea1350
to come aboutc1350
overcomea1382
passa1393
comea1400
to come in (also to, on, etc.) placea1400
eschew?a1400
chevec1400
shapec1400
hold1462
to come (also go) to pass1481
proceed?1518
occura1522
bechance1527
overpass1530
sorta1535
succeed1537
adventurec1540
to fall toc1540
success1545
to fall forth1569
fadge1573
beword?1577
to fall in1578
happen1580
event1590
arrive1600
offer1601
grow1614
fudge1615
incur1626
evene1654
obvene1654
to take place1770
transpire1775
to go on1873
to show up1879
materialize1885
break1914
cook1932
to go down1946
eOE [implied in: Bede Glosses (Tiber. C.ii) in Archiv f. das Studium der Neueren Sprachen (1917) 136 292 [Insidiator inimicus,] casualibus laquiis [praeparatis, Germani pedem lapsus occasione contriuit] : ðæm fallendum girenum. (at falling adj. 1)].
c1300 Holy Cross (Laud) 512 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 16 Mani miracle þare feol a-day.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Ecclus. xlviii. 28 He shewide thingus to come..er that thei fellen.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) l. 12284 Wherfore haue ȝe leten þis falle.
a1450 (c1410) H. Lovelich Hist. Holy Grail lvi. l. 64 A famyne that Schold fallen In gret Bretaygne.
1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. cxlvi. 174 Lykewise they woll deale with vs if the case fell lyke.
1532 Romaunt Rose in Wks. G. Chaucer f. cxxviii/1 To wene that dremes after fal.
a1547 Earl of Surrey tr. Virgil Certain Bks. Aenæis (1557) ii. sig. Di A sodein monstrous maruel fell.
1633 Bp. J. Hall Plaine Explic. Hard Texts i. 521 The death of this cruell Tyran..shall fall about two moneths after this later period.
1764 O. Goldsmith Traveller 4 Oft a sigh prevails, and sorrows fall.
1875 Ld. Tennyson Queen Mary v. i. 223 If war should fall between yourself and France.
1935 R. A. Knox Barchester Pilgrimage i. 10 The death of Dr. Gwynne fell about this time.
1985 New Castle (Pa.) News 5 Apr. 5/1 His death fell upon the day of the feast of the Passover.
(b) intransitive. With anticipatory it as subject and clause as complement. Also impersonal in early use.may-fall: see may v.1 Phrases 2.
ΚΠ
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 7928 Sæie me wæh [read whæ] hit vælleð þat þe wal reoseð.
c1390 Cato's Distichs (Vernon) l. 143 in F. J. Furnivall Minor Poems Vernon MS (1901) ii. 564 Ofte falleþ, þe wyf hit hateþ Þat loueþ þe goode hosebande.
c1460 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Laud) l. 11929 Hhyt fille vpon an holiday..Ihesu and othir childryn in samyn went hem by the rever to gamyn.
c1515 Ld. Berners tr. Bk. Duke Huon of Burdeux (1882–7) lx. 210 So it fell that..kinge Charlemayn sent for hym.
1599 R. Barnfield in W. Shakespeare et al. Passionate Pilgrime (new ed.) sig. D6 As it fell vpon a Day, In the merry Month of May,..Beastes did leape, and Birds did sing.
1611 Bible (King James) 2 Kings iv. 11 It fell on a day that hee came thither. View more context for this quotation
1644 Z. Boyd Garden of Zion I. 329 So it fell that Elisha on a day, to this house of Shunem made his way.
1796 R. Burns in J. Johnson Scots Musical Museum V. 424/1 Ance it fell upon a day That wae did me betide.
1870 W. Morris Earthly Paradise: Pt. IV 233 As it fell..an elder 'gan to tell The story.
1916 Youth's Compan. 10 Feb. 80/2 It fell, one day, that Andy purchased of Mrs. Sawyer ten dozen eggs at twenty cents a dozen.
1982 Lallans 18 23 It fell that ae day whan thai warna fer frae the houss, a gentilman an his sairvant rade up ti thaim [etc.].
b. intransitive. spec. Of a special day or season, a planned event, etc.: to occur or take place at the specified time.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > occurrence > [verb (intransitive)] > of things that arrive or take place in time
comeOE
fallc1300
occur1495
incur1536
to come in?1541
subvene1858
c1300 St. Theophilus (Laud) l. 191 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 293 He is a seint..and his day fallez in þe ȝere A luyte bi-fore Aueryl.
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 5614 At seint austines day it was as it valþ in may.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 17288 + 77 Þat friday was our leuedy day..But now ful selden fallez it soo.
c1400 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe (Cambr. Dd.3.53) (1872) ii. §12. 23 The xiij. day of March fil vp-on a saterday.
1565 T. Stapleton tr. Bede Hist. Church Eng. v. xxii. f. 183 In which euening when it fell vppon the saboth daye, euery man should take a lambe..and offer him vpp in sacrifice.
1577 R. Holinshed Chron. II. 558/2 Thys yeare Easter day fell so high as it possibly might, that is to witte, on Saint Markes day.
1662 E. Stillingfleet Origines Sacræ i. i. §20 The 11 Generation after Moses, which will fall about the time of Samuel.
1694 W. Holder Disc. Time viii. 101 The Vernal Equinox, which at the time of the Nicene Council fell upon the 21st of March, falls now above 10 days sooner.
1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) at Moveable Feasts The Immoveable Feasts are those, which..constantly fall on the same Day of the Month.
1738 Weekly Misc. 2 Dec. Her Royal Highness's Birth-Day falling on Sunday, and Monday being the Day on which her late Majesty died, the same was not celebrated 'till Tuesday.
1823 H. W. Longfellow in S. Longfellow Life H. W. Longfellow (1891) I. iii. 33 I am rather sorry that the Exhibition falls so late in the year.
1853 F. D. Maurice Prophets & Kings Old Test. xx. 352 The date..falling between the years 610 and 600 before Christ.
1910 H. H. Jessup Fifty-three Years in Syria I. 401 This year Ramadan falls in a month of short days and long nights.
1981 J. Stubbs Ironmaster xiv. 188 There wd be an Outcry if the wedding was to fall in the month of May.
2006 Billboard 7 Jan. 39/2 Christmas fell on a Sunday this year.
†c. intransitive. Of a time or day: to arrive in due course. Cf. come v. 26a. Obsolete.In quot. a1375 in it falls time: the appointed or proper time arrives.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > particular time > [verb (intransitive)] > come or arrive (of a time)
falla1375
to come onc1450
arrive1614
to roll around1753
the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > come in due order or course [verb (intransitive)]
falla1375
a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 1924 (MED) Leue we now þis lesson..to hem aȝeyn can i turne whan it time falles.
a1425 (a1400) Prick of Conscience (Galba & Harl.) (1863) l. 2616 In erthe sal duelle þe bodis alle, Until þat dredful day sal falle.
c1450 (c1350) Alexander & Dindimus (Bodl.) (1929) l. 323 We mowe tellen our time whan þe time fallus.
1582 T. Watson Ἑκατομπαθία: Passionate Cent. Loue lx. sig. H2v Of this my weary Life no day shall fall, Wherein my penne shall once thy praise forget.
1660 F. Brooke tr. V. Le Blanc World Surveyed ii. xiv. 239 'Tis forfeit of life for these Princes to come out of their enclosure, except him who is immediately to succeed when time falls.
52. intransitive. With indirect object (or, in early use, with †to): to happen to a person; to befall. Chiefly Scottish in later use, mainly in fixed phrases: see fair fall —— at Phrases 4b, foul (also shame) fall —— at Phrases 4a.In early use also impersonal or with anticipatory it and clause as complement (cf. sense 51a(b)), and sometimes with adverb or adjective expressing the person's fate, as him fell well ‘he prospered’, it fell them hard ‘things went badly for them’, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > occurrence > [verb (transitive)]
ywortheOE
fallc1225
atrinec1275
to come upon ——a1300
astart1393
to run to ——c1475
to come by ——1523
mishap1592
to come on ——a1599
tryst1645
arrive1655
the world > existence and causation > occurrence > [verb (intransitive)] > happen to
tocomeeOE
limpc888
i-timeOE
alimpOE
comeOE
on-becomeOE
tidec1000
befallc1175
betidec1175
betimea1225
fallc1225
time?c1225
yfallc1275
timea1325
happena1393
to run upon ——a1393
behapa1450
bechance1530
succeeda1533
attaina1535
behappen1596
the world > existence and causation > occurrence > [verb (intransitive)] > fall to one
tide955
comeOE
fallc1225
reboundc1425
redound1460
recoil1577
to fall in a person's path (also road, etc.)1605
sort1622
the world > action or operation > prosperity > prosper or flourish [verb (intransitive)] > he prospered
fallc1225
c1225 (?c1200) St. Katherine (Royal) (1981) l. 636 O leoue iferen feire is us ifallen.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 1521 Niðede ðat folk him fel wel.
c1400 ( Canticum Creatione l. 638 in C. Horstmann Sammlung Altengl. Legenden (1878) 132 (MED) By þe weye it fel hem hard: An addre to hem gan lepe.
a1425 (c1300) Assumption of Virgin (BL Add.) (1901) l. 706 Thei comen lepand þiderwarde, And þat hem fel swiþe harde.
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 2600 Þof vs fall now to flee we may na ferryre wend.
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 2722 Þe mare vnfryndschip þarfore fall sall þe neuire.
1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) ii. l. 45 Sa hard myscheiff him fell.
a1500 (?c1450) Merlin i. 10 It..neuer fill to [eny] woman saf oonly to me.
c1515 Ld. Berners tr. Bk. Duke Huon of Burdeux (1882–7) vii. 15 The peteous aduenture that fell..to the two chyldren.
1583 R. Sempill Bp. of St. Androis in Ballates (1872) 218 A vengeance faa him.
a1598 D. Fergusson Sc. Prov. (1641) sig. E3 Shame shall fall them that shame thinks, to do themselves a good turn.
?1615 G. Chapman tr. Homer Odysses (new ed.) xvii. 260 So (should Vlysses finde this rabble, housd In his free Turrets, courting his espousd) Foule death would fall them.
1681 Whole Series of All transacted in House of Peers conc. Popish Plot ii. 26 The said Staley and Maddison resolved to Kill the Earl of Shaftesbury, as the Ringleader of the Mischief, that they feared would fall them.
1931 Shetland Times 14 Mar. So, güd faa de fur a' it du's ivir don fur wis.
1951 in Sc. National Dict. (1956) IV. 1/2 In acknowledgement of the toast ‘Here's gweed health tae ye,’ it was usual to answer ‘Sae fa ye,’ i.e. ‘the same to you!’
†53. intransitive. With by, from, of, out of. To happen as a consequence or result of the specified action, event, etc. See also to fall out upon at Phrasal verbs 1. Obsolete.Cf. also later to fall out of —— 4 at Phrasal verbs 2 and to fall out 5e at Phrasal verbs 1, which appear to show a separate development.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > causation > effect, result, or consequence > result [verb (intransitive)]
followOE
sue?c1225
arisec1275
fallc1300
result?a1425
ensue1483
enfollow1485
issuea1500
rebounda1500
succeed1537
terminate1613
concludea1639
depend1655
eventuate1814
ultimatec1834
come1884
translate1919
c1300 St. Lucy (Laud) l. 16 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 101 We hereth of miracles al day þat of seinte Agace doth falle.
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. vii. iii. 345 Of þat icchinge falliþ many scales.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 4520 Was þar nan emang ham all Cuth sai quat þar-of suld fall.
a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 191 Icchinge & scabbe..falliþ ofte of salt metis.
1484 W. Caxton tr. G. de la Tour-Landry Bk. Knight of Tower (1971) xxii. 41 Yet shalle I saye..how it happed..And what fylle therof.
c1515 Ld. Berners tr. Bk. Duke Huon of Burdeux (1882–7) ii. 4 Wherby so many illes haue fallen.
c1585 R. Browne Answere to Cartwright 57 Other matters, which fall out of the former proofes.
1651 Bp. J. Hall Susurrium cum Deo xxxv. 146 What can fall from defective causes, but imperfect effects?
†54. intransitive. With of. To happen to or become of a person or thing. Only in direct and indirect questions with what, whatsoever, etc., as what fell of them? Cf. become v. 4. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. v. l. 254 (MED) What fel of þis Feloun, I con not feire schewe.
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) i. l. 2471 (MED) What-so-euer happe or falle of me.
c1450 (a1400) Chevalere Assigne l. 130 in W. H. French & C. B. Hale Middle Eng. Metrical Romances (1930) 864 And askede hym in good feyth what fell of þe chyldren.
1485 W. Caxton tr. Paris & Vienne (1957) 38 What shal falle of you my lady.
1525 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles II. lxxviii. [lxxiv.] 234 No man knewe what sholde fal of theyr bodyes.
?1590 Merry Iest of Robin Hood sig. A4v Now and thou loose thy land said Robin what shall fall of thee?
55. intransitive. To turn out in a particular way, have a particular result; (with to or in) to result or eventuate in something specified. Cf. to fall out 5b at Phrasal verbs 1. Later chiefly in to let matters (also things, etc.) fall as they may (also will, etc.).In quot. 1633: spec. (of the weather) to turn out in a particular way.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > causation > effect, result, or consequence > result [verb (intransitive)] > turn out
goOE
farec1230
to come to proofc1330
shape1338
afarec1380
achievea1393
falla1398
sort1477
succeed1541
lucka1547
to fall out1556
redound1586
to come off1590
light1612
takea1625
result1626
issue1665
to turn out1731
eventuate1787
to roll out1801
to come away1823
to work out1839
pan1865
the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > weather > [verb (intransitive)]
fall1633
to get out1852
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xvii. clxxxv. 1082 Drunkenhede falleþ ofte in manslauþe and spousebrekyng [L. incidunt enim ebriosi in homicidia, adulteria].
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 29058 Þat þi fast to saul fode mai falle.
c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. xii. l. 47 (MED) Felyce hir fayrnesse fel hir al to sklaundre.
c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 137 All our fare & our fortune hath fallyn to þe best.
1568 G. Turberville tr. D. Mancinus Plaine Path to Perfect Vertue sig. A.vv In doubtfull causes see thou seeke the trouth of either part, That howsoere the matter fall, thou mayst auoide the smart.
1611 Bible (King James) Ruth iii. 18 Sit still..vntill thou know how the matter will fall . View more context for this quotation
1633 G. Herbert Temple: Sacred Poems 137 A silly flie, That live or die According as the weather falls.
1699 R. Bentley Diss. Epist. Phalaris (new ed.) 211 Let the dispute about Comedy and Susarion fall as it will.
1886 Longman's Mag. July 257 They adopt such a combination of ideas about events which seem fortuitous that the kind of evidence they obtain must have been obtained, let events fall as they may.
1909 E. M. Lane Katrine xxiii. 237 I like books where things fall as they should rather than as they do.
1954 Daily Independent (Kannapolis, N. Carolina) 19 June 1/2 I expect to get out there and take the lead and let things fall as they may after that.
2013 Daily Gleaner (New Brunswick) (Nexis) 13 Sept. c2 The wise move at this time would be to not push too hard and to let matters fall as they may.
56.
†a. intransitive. With infinitive: to happen to be in the specified place, at the specified time, or in the specified condition. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1480 Cronicles Eng. (Caxton) ccxxv. sig. p4v All the lordes of his reame and othir that fallen to be at his parlement weren called and assembled to gedre.
1530 Myroure Oure Ladye (Fawkes) (1873) i. 34 The feaste of saynt Anyan fell to be the same tyme at Orleaunce.
1535 in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1846) 3rd Ser. I. 317 The same gentleman that toke hym may convaye hym to the forsaide place wher he shall faule to be upon monday next.
1639 R. Gentilis tr. P. Sarpi Hist. Inquisition 66 With ease they are made, because with ease they are revoked..as it fals to be most commodious for their businesses.
b. intransitive. With passive infinitive: to come in due course to be done, made, etc. Frequently with reference to what is due to be discussed, decided, etc., as to fall to be considered, to fall to be spoken of, to fall to be decided. Cf. come v. 30a.
ΚΠ
1594 R. Carew tr. J. Huarte Exam. Mens Wits xiii. 208 A theefe that is not his craftsmaister in filching, soon falleth to be discouered.
1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 87 The Gardens fall in the next place, to bee spoken of.
a1715 Bp. G. Burnet Hist. Own Time (1724) I. 372 A Church falling to be given in that way, the electors had a mind to choose me.
1863 J. H. Burton Book-hunter (ed. 2) 310 Had it fallen to be edited by a philosophical enquirer.
1879 J. A. Froude Cæsar vii. 62 The campaign of Sylla in the East does not fall to be described in this place.
1884 Daily News 11 Feb. 5/5 The advance would fall to be made in the driest time.
1949 J. Murphy Origins & Hist. Relig. vi. 43 The relation of Magic to Religion will fall to be dealt with more fully in our account of the Tribal Horizon.
1961 Times 26 Oct. 19/2 Capacity and consent were matters that fell to be decided by the lex domicilii.
2013 K. Prost in L. van den Herik & N. Schrijver Counter-terrorism Strategies (2014) i. iv. 108 What remains lacking..is any procedural provisions for the actual practice of mutual assistance but that falls to be considered later.
†VII. To move quickly, rush.
57. intransitive. To move quickly, rush; spec. to charge, make a sudden attack. Obsolete except in phrasal verbs, esp. in to fall on —— 1a at Phrasal verbs 2, to fall upon —— 1a at Phrasal verbs 2.In quot. OE perhaps partly due to confusion of Latin procedere ‘to move forward’ with procidere ‘to fall forward’.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > rate of motion > swiftness > swift movement in specific manner > move swiftly in specific manner [verb (intransitive)] > move swiftly and violently
driveeOE
fallOE
reseOE
routOE
rashOE
swip?c1225
weothec1275
startlec1300
lushc1330
swapc1386
brusha1400
spurna1400
buschc1400
frushc1400
rushc1405
rushle1553
rouse1582
hurl1609
powder1632
slash1689
stave1819
tilt1831
bulge1834
smash1835
storm1837
stream1847
ripsnort1932
slam1973
OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: John xii. 13 Processerunt obuiam ei et clamabant osanna : feollon uel cuomon uel foerdon togægnæs him & ceigdon uel cliopadon hæl usic.
c1300 St. Leonard (Laud) l. 93 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 459 For miracle þat þare was, muche folk þudere gan falle.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Mark iii. 10 Thei felden fast to hym, that thei shulden touche hym.
c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness (1920) l. 837 (MED) In grete flokkez of folk þay fallen to his ȝatez.
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 1133 (MED) With þat þe flammand flode fell in his eȝen.
c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 45v Other folke vpon fer fell thedur thicke.
c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 212 Þai fell to me fuersly & my folke slogh.
1632 J. Hayward tr. G. F. Biondi Eromena 163 Many Galleyes fall towards them so suddenly.

Phrases

P1. With prepositional phrase as complement.
†a. to fall in (also to) age: to grow old. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > source or principle of life > age > old age > be or seem old [verb (intransitive)] > grow old
oldeOE
eldc1175
to fall in (also to) agea1398
forlive1398
hoara1420
runa1425
age1440
veterate1623
senesce1656
olden1700
wane1821
to get on in years1822
senilize1841
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. v. iii. 177 Whanne he falleþ to age [L. protenditur etas], he wexith febil.
c1475 (a1449) J. Lydgate Minor Poems (1934) ii. 530 (MED) He was ffalle in age.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 543/2 You fall in age apace.
1600 N. Breton Pasquils Passe 27 Yong men fal in age before their time.
b. to fall with child (also bairn): to become pregnant. Cf. to fall pregnant at Phrases 2d. Chiefly Scottish or archaic in later use.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > biology > biological processes > procreation or reproduction > conception > conceive [verb (intransitive)]
trima1325
conceivec1375
greatenc1390
to fall with child (also bairn)a1464
impregnate1711
start1846
catch1858
fall1891
click1936
to be caught out1957
to fall for ——1957
big1982
a1464 J. Capgrave Abbreuiacion of Cron. (Cambr. Gg.4.12) (1983) 87 So fel sche with childe.
1607 E. Grimeston tr. S. Goulart Admirable & Memorable Hist. 229 Catherine..in her second marriage fell sicke, and with Childe at one instant.
1632 J. Weemes Explan. Ceremoniall Lawes of Moses 140 An Hebrew had maried a captive woman, and had lyen with her and she fel with child.
1722 in H. Paton Penninghame Parish Rec. (1933) I. 479 The said..Jannet..confessed that she fell with child and parted with it in May last.
?1771 Whole Proc. Jocky & Maggy 21 I did wi her as I did wi our Maggy, when she fell wi bairn.
1821 Edinb. Med. & Surg. Jrnl. 17 515 From the birth of the still-born foetus..until she again fell with child, nearly seven months elapsed.
1877 E. Peacock Gloss. Words Manley & Corringham, Lincs. Fall wi' bairn, to become pregnant.
1965 D. W. Winnicott Family & Individual Developm. ii. xiii. 106 A person who..has either by design or by accident fallen with child.
2002 C. Grainger Bruised Blue (SCOTS) Ah kin unerstan hoo yi wur fixed—gae long whiles afore yi fell wi bairn.
c.
(a) to fall to work: to begin doing something, esp. in a purposeful or energetic manner; to begin working, get to work.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > working > [verb (intransitive)] > begin working
to fall to work1523
fall1589
to go out1660
to put (also set) to work1694
to turn to1799
1523 J. Skelton Goodly Garlande of Laurell sig. D For your sake how fast to warke they fall.
1546 S. Gardiner Declar. True Articles f. lv He that is called at .viii. of the clocke, may not stande ydle tyll eleuen, and fall to worke then.
1654 Earl of Monmouth tr. G. Bentivoglio Compl. Hist. Warrs Flanders ii. v. 261 Entring into the Ditch, and falling to work with their Mathooks.
1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 242 He fell to Work.
1817 W. Cobbett Taking Leave 25 The Grazier then fell to work with his stick in such a style as I never before witnessed.
1861 T. Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. I. iii. 43 The four fell to work upon the breakfast.
1950 Spectator 17 Mar. 350/2 The grief-stricken Claude in a passion of excitement falls to work on a portrait.
2011 N.Y. Times 20 Mar. (Sunday Business section) 1/3 The analysts quickly fell to work assessing the implications [of the disaster] for companies, markets and economies.
(b) to fall to it: to begin doing something, esp. in a purposeful or energetic manner; to get to work. Frequently in imperative, in fall to it, as an exhortation to do this.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > undertaking > beginning action or activity > begin action or activity [verb (intransitive)]
beginc1000
onginOE
aginOE
ginc1175
to go tillc1175
to take onc1175
comsea1225
fanga1225
to go toc1275
i-ginc1275
commencec1320
to get (also get down, go, go adown, set, set down) to workc1400
to lay to one's hand(sc1405
to put to one's hand (also hands)c1410
to set toc1425
standa1450
to make to1563
to fall to it1570
to start out1574
to fall to1577
to run upon ——1581
to break off1591
start1607
to set in1608
to set to one's hands1611
to put toa1616
to fall ona1625
in1633
to fall aboard1642
auspicatea1670
to set out1693
to enter (into) the fray1698
open1708
to start in1737
inchoate1767
to set off1774
go1780
start1785
to on with1843
to kick off1857
to start in on1859
to steam up1860
to push off1909
to cut loose1923
to get (also put) the show on the road1941
to get one's arse in gear1948
1570 J. Foxe Actes & Monumentes (rev. ed.) II. 1607/2 Fall to it my Maisters.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) i. i. 3 Speake to th' Mariners: fall too't, yarely, or we run our selues a ground. View more context for this quotation
1644 J. Vicars Jehovah-jireh 164 They presently fell to it pell mell with their Swords and Pole-axes.
1737 S. Berington Mem. G. di Lucca 309 We..fell to it with our Scymitars.
1842 ‘Cotton Twist’ Free Trader xxxi. 175 When in your horror of machinery, the spade itself shall supersede manual labour too far, then fall to it with your hands.
1947 P. Larkin Let. 11 Oct. in Sel. Lett. (1992) 142 A blacked out war factory on the night shift, with..plenty of jolly work men drinking tea and falling to it again.
1990 M. Wells Jewel of Promise li. 380 ‘Fall to it men; up to the batteries,’ snapped General Parke.
d. to fall to the ground and variants: to come to nothing; esp. (of an argument, theory, etc.) to be shown to be false or invalid; (of a plan or project) to be unsuccessful.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > failure or lack of success > fail or be unsuccessful [verb (intransitive)] > collapse or come to nothing
forworthc1000
folda1250
quailc1450
fruster?a1513
to come to nothing1523
to give out?1523
to fall to the ground?1526
quealc1530
to come to, end in, vanish into, smoke1604
intercide1637
to fall to dirt1670
to go off1740
to fall through1770
to fall apart1833
collapse1838
to run into the sand (also, now less commonly, sands)1872
to blow up1934
to blow out1939
?1526 J. Fisher Serm. conc. Heretickes sig. D.iijv By this collection all the heresies of Luther at ones falle vnto the grounde.
1634 W. Tirwhyt tr. J. L. G. de Balzac Lett. 237 Suffering that name to fall to ground.
1690 J. Locke Two Treat. Govt. i. xi. 179 The natural Power of Kings falls to the ground.
1745 J. Wesley Let. 2 Feb. (1931) II. 175 I am..fully persuaded that, could we once agree in doctrines, other differences would soon fall to the ground.
1795 Hist. in Ann. Reg. 126 The injurious epithets..being proofless, fell to the ground.
1825 New Monthly Mag. 15 51/1 Falsehood is sure to fall to the ground ultimately.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 516 The proposition fell to the ground.
1879 M. J. Guest Lect. Hist. Eng. xxxiv. 346 His great hopes fell to the ground.
1953 C. Day Lewis Ital. Visit i. 17 Your analogy falls to the ground.
1999 M. Billig Freudian Repression vii. 184 Any project to reinterpret Freudian ideas in terms of language must fall to the ground if it cannot deal with the issue of unconscious emotions.
e. to fall on (also upon) one's feet: to get out of difficulties or find oneself in a favourable situation, esp. unexpectedly or by good luck. Cf. foot n. and int. Phrases 2a(c), to fall on (also †upon) one's legs at leg n. Phrases 1f.Sometimes specifically in comparisons with cats, referring to their ability to land on their paws after falling from a height. [Originally after Middle French (French) tomber sur ses pieds (1569 in the passage translated in quot. 1574, or earlier).]
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > prosperity > prosper or flourish [verb (intransitive)] > have good fortune
light?c1225
urec1440
to fall on (also upon) one's feet1574
to fall on (also upon) one's legs1723
to strike it rich1834
to strike oil1860
to luck out1902
to hit the jackpot1910
to bottom on (also upon) gold1926
to strike lucky1951
to hit (also strike, etc.) pay dirt1953
to land on one's feet1958
1574 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Serm. on Job c. 471/1 When all is done, we cannot fall but vpon our feete [Fr. nous ne pouvons tomber que sur nos piez] as they say. For all the troubles of this worlde shall not let God from leading vs too the saluation which he hath promised vs.
1622 W. Scot Course Conformitie sig. Y4v He hath found a false key to open a gate for many to enter within the threshold of ceremonies in case of deprivation, and a back dore to escape by in case of reformation, that his man shall ever fall on his feet.
1642 Vindic. Parl. & their Proc. 15 They are Macchiavillians, and Polititions; who desiring with the Cat to fall on their feet, and to be free from blame and danger however the world wags, [etc.].
1769 J. Reed Tom Jones 60 My cuz has fallen upon his feet.
1842 F. Marryat Percival Keene I. i. 98 You have been put in most difficult situations, and always have fallen upon your feet in the end.
1857 A. Trollope Barchester Towers III. xvii. 298 It is well known that the family of the Slopes never starve: they always fall on their feet, like cats.
1954 Irish Times 5 Aug. 4/4 Big Tim Flannery's daughter Celia, who has been through the mill..has fallen on her feet and is going to marry Rt. Honbl. W. R. E. Gladstone to-morrow morning.
2006 N. Talevski Rock Obituaries (2010) 86/1 Clarke usually managed to fall on his feet and ended the Seventies as the most commercially successful member of the group.
f. to fall about a person's ears.
(a) To collapse or come down on or around a person. Frequently figurative or in figurative contexts. Cf. about a person's ears at ear n.1 Phrases 1a.Also with down; cf. to fall down 1a at Phrasal verbs 1.
ΚΠ
1575 T. Churchyard 1st Pt. Chippes f. G.vii For wheles and all, faules downe about their eares From rotten frames.
1649 G. Winstanley New Law Righteousnes 105 His house and Kingdon wil fall about his ears.
1726 J. T. Desaguliers York-Buildings Dragons (ed. 2) 14 And sit quietly till your Houses fall about your Ears?
1863 Gardener's Monthly Jan. 11/1 The house..—the bricks of which your experienced correspondents form—will fall about my ears, and I shall be annihilated.
1876 Wesleyan-Methodist Mag. May 431 The Associate Presbytery were building a Babel that would soon fall down about their ears.
1909 Sketch 30 June 406/2 The smelting-house would fall about his ears as surely as though a five-inch shell had struck it.
2002 Daily Record (Glasgow) (Nexis) 22 Feb. 50 My girlfriend is furious with me and my whole life is falling about my ears again.
†(b) To assail a person suddenly or vigorously; esp. to attack someone with punches, kicks, etc. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > impact > striking > strike or deliver blows [verb (intransitive)] > specific on a person
to be upon (also on) a person's jack1588
to fall about a person's ears1615
to pink (a person's) jacket (also doublet)1673
1615 R. Brathwait Strappado 39 Lest that those spend-thrifts fall about his eares, When they shall see him.
1635 T. Heywood Hierarchie Blessed Angells viii. 551 He not able to endure it, leapt from the Herse, and fell about their eares with such rage and fury, that hee ceased not buffetting with them, till quite wearied.
1661 S. Pepys Diary 23 Mar. (1970) II. 58 His master fell about his eares and beat him.
1726 tr. D. Hurtado de Mendoza Life & Adventures Lazarillo de Tormes (ed. 2) ii. xi. 184 Great and small fell about my Ears; some kick't, others cuff't.
?1755 Jack Smart's Merry Jester (ed. 2) 71 Giving the Miller some harsh Words, he fell about his Ears, and beat him soundly.
g. †to fall into a person's eye: to catch a person's eye, to be seen. Also figurative. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1583 C. Hollyband Campo di Fior 3 There is some thing fallen I know not what into mine eyes.
1609 Bp. J. Hall Peace of Rome Ep. Ded. sig. A3v The view of this Popish fray could not in their conceits fall more vnhappily into any eies.
1712 J. Addison Spectator No. 415. ¶10 The intire Concavity [of the Dome] falls into your Eye at once.
h. to fall in a person's path (also road, etc.) and variants: to be met with in the course of a person's experience. Earliest in to fall in one's way at way n.1 and int.1 Phrases 2e(e)(i).
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > occurrence > [verb (intransitive)] > fall to one
tide955
comeOE
fallc1225
reboundc1425
redound1460
recoil1577
to fall in a person's path (also road, etc.)1605
sort1622
1605 Bp. J. Hall Medit. & Vowes II. §44 As for riches, if they fall in my way, I refuse them not.
a1676 M. Hale Primitive Originat. Mankind (1677) i. ii. 62 A..deliberate connexing of Consequents, which falls not in the common road of ordinary men.
1765 L. Sterne Life Tristram Shandy VII. viii. 29 I never chaff, but take the good and the bad as they fall in my road.
1836 Gift 38 It seemed to be nonsense to fight shy now that it [sc. a bit of good luck] fell in my track.
1856 Ladies' Repository Aug. 498/2 Count the mercies which have been quietly falling into your path.
1936 Washington Post 15 Nov. 16/3 You must take love as it comes. It will fall in your path like a ripe fruit.
2016 South Wales Echo (Nexis) 14 Sept. 12 I am lucky I could experience..every opportunity that fell into my path.
†i. to fall to oneself: to regain self-control. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > calmness > self-possession or self-control > control oneself [verb (reflexive)] > regain control
to fall to oneself1623
1623 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Henry VIII ii. i. 36 He..somthing spoke in choller, ill, and hasty: But he fell to himselfe againe. View more context for this quotation
j. to fall upon the ear and variants: (of a word, sound, utterance, etc.) to be heard; (with modifying adverb) to sound (sweetly, etc.). Also to fall upon (receptive, understanding, etc.) ears and variants, indicating the attentiveness, etc., of the listener. Earliest in to fall on deaf ears at deaf adj. Additions.
ΚΠ
1650 Briefe Relation Some Affaires & Transact. No. 37. 535 Certainly these loud cryes for Justice falling upon a deaf ear, will draw down Vengeance from Him that will hear the cryes of the oppressed.
1653 W. Sclater Grand Assises 42 I have it in my wishes, that my remaining words may fall like Manna upon every ear, and heart.
1660 J. Trapp Comm. Holy Script. (Prov. xxv. 12) 167 A seasonable word falling upon a tractable ear, hath a redoubled grace with it.
1766 T. Joel Poems & Lett. in Prose 98 Her well-tim'd Counsels fell upon his Ear.
1787 R. Bage Fair Syrian II. 145 What signify a few soft sayings—they will fall upon your ears as gentle as the feathered snow upon the marble rock, and injure you as little.
1837 J. H. Pinder Serm. ii. 43 How softly does the virgin's gentle hymn fall on the ear!
1858 G. MacDonald Phantastes 204 The sound of a closing door..fell on my ear.
1887 Christian Union 25 Aug. 183/2 In some instances the divine voice fell on understanding ears.
1902 R. Bagot Donna Diana xiii. 141 The rattle of wheels and the discordant clanging of the gongs of electric trams fall hideously on the ear.
1979 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 17 Jan. 7/1 The gist of what she was saying to that powdered and blued audience would fall on receptive ears.
2000 Independent 9 Feb. ii. 4/1 No six words fall more sweetly upon the ears of someone who has spent an afternoon slaving over a hot stove than, ‘Mmmm, delicious; is there any more?’
k.
(a) to fall in (also into) line.Cf. to fall into —— 2 at Phrasal verbs 2, to fall in 9a(a) at Phrasal verbs 1.
(i) Originally in military contexts: to get in formation; to take one's place in the ranks. Later also more generally: to form, or take one's place in, a line or queue.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > arrangement in (a) row(s) or line(s > form (a) row(s) or line(s [verb (intransitive)]
rank1582
range1697
to fall in (also into) line1747
line1790
to line up1796
to toe a (also the) line (or mark, scratch, crack, trig)1813
daisy-chain1968
1747 Whitehall Evening-post 14–17 Nov. There were four of 76 Guns each, and the rest from 70 to 56, with four Frigates that did not fall into Line.
1798 Star 25 Sept. One of them, on advancing, observed them fall into line, and wheel about, in order to take an advantageous position.
1817 Times 26 July The whole brigade fell into line, dismounted and marched on foot in troops before the Prince.
1820 Farmer's Mag. Aug. 283 At bell-ring for quitting work, they fall into line.
1865 Ann. Rep. Adjutant-General Commonw. Mass. 1864 718 Fell in line and endeavored to cross an open plain.
1935 Country Life 21 Sept. 294/2 Do with as few followers as possible. Discourage half the village from falling into line behind you.
1962 I. Wallace Prize iv. 197 Craig fell in line, behind several Swedes, at the long counter of the package shop.
2012 J. Shaara Blaze of Glory (2013) ii. 190 Pull back! Re-form behind these men! Fall in line!
(ii) To conform or align (with); esp. to conform to prevailing or expected thinking or behaviour.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > a standard of conduct > direct one's conduct by a rule [verb (intransitive)] > conform
conform1393
to swim with or down the stream or the tide1592
symbolize1605
comply1655
to fall in (also into) line1837
to toe a (also the) line (or mark, scratch, crack, trig)1895
1837 Daily National Intelligencer (Washington) 12 Oct. It has fallen into line with the multitude of State banks, created under the late Administration.
1850 J. B. Bowlin Circular to Constituents 11/2 They would fall into line with the President's scheme.
1899 Michigan Alumnus Oct. 13 This step has already been taken by at least two of our strongest western rivals, and..it is but a question of a short time when others will fall in line.
1933 A. S. Eddington Expanding Universe p. v In Chapter IV we see that the investigation of the expanding universe falls into line with other methods of enquiry.
1970 G. Greer Female Eunuch 128 Nurses are skilled menials, and as such they fall into line with the dominant pattern of female employment.
1998 R. Gunesekera Sandglass ix. 201 Everyone knew that if Dino wanted something to happen, it would happen. Other people would always fall in line.
2015 Australian (Nexis) 30 Oct. 12 Cabinet ministers..had to fall in line with Abbott's decision to fight Labor on super taxes.
(b) to fall out of line.Cf. to fall out of —— 3 at Phrasal verbs 2.
(i) Military. To fail to remain in formation; to break rank.
ΚΠ
1813 Bury & Norwich Post 19 May The French centre..gave way, broke their ranks, and fell out of line.
1868 J. K. Larke Life Gen. U. S. Grant l. 387 The men were beginning to fall out of line occasionally, entirely out of ammunition.
1905 Washington Post 7 Sept. 3/1 Many others [sc. veterans], weakened by age, fell out of line long before the journey was completed.
1994 R. P. Saller Patriarchy, Prop., & Death in Rom. Family (1997) vi. 139 An appropriate punishment..for a soldier falling out of line.
(ii) To become out of alignment or agreement; (now) esp. to fail to conform to prevailing or expected thinking or behaviour.
ΚΠ
1841 North Amer. & Daily Advertiser (Philadelphia) 5 Mar. If one bank breaks it falls out of line, and the circulation of others fills its place.
1893 Observer (Bristol, Pa.) 19 Aug. France and Germany are losing step with the march of progress and must soon fall out of line if they do not imitate the example of Great Britain.
1933 Econ. Jrnl. 43 561 Wage rates in the latter fall out of line with wage rates in the former.
1988 Chicago Tribune (Nexis) 16 Mar. 20 You get the feeling that if people fall out of line and, say, wear yellow shirts,..the fashion police will rush right over to cover them with a Burberry.
2014 Swindon Advertiser (Nexis) 20 Mar. The players are pretty much left to their own devices on Twitter and only if and when they fall out of line do we pick them up on it.
(c) to fall into (also in) step.
(i) In military contexts: to begin to march at the same pace in a body of soldiers or as another soldier. More generally: to adopt the same pace and way of walking to match someone else (see in step at step n.1 4a). Also with with.
ΚΠ
1853 C. Dickens Bleak House xxxiv. 339 He falls into step, and marches off with the trooper, shoulder to shoulder.
1858 Liverpool Mercury 9 Oct. 3/2 A woman with a child..imploring an alms,..falling into step with him, walks by his side.
1917 S. Anderson Marching Men iii. 148 The file of marching men fell into step.
1958 A. Saxton Bright Web in Darkness viii. 58 He fell into step beside her, reaching out to take the suitcase.
2012 Z. Smith NW (2013) 167 Felix fell in step behind a tall girl in tight red jeans and spaghetti-strapped vest.
(ii) To conform or align with; = to fall into line (with) (see Phrases 1k(a)(ii)).
ΚΠ
1883 Jrnl. Speculative Philos. 17 26 Our philosophy..falls into step with natural science.
1904 World's Work Aug. 244/2 The layman can fall into step with the engineer in learning how the industrial establishments of the future must be built and equipped.
1981 Globe & Mail (Toronto) (Nexis) 14 Dec. In Ottawa, fiscal policy has decisively fallen into step behind a tight monetary policy.
2004 C. B. Guignon On being Authentic 142 We tend to fall in step with the expectations of others about how we are to enact our life stories.
l. Originally U.S. to fall on one's sword and variants: to sacrifice one's job, position, reputation, etc., typically for the sake of others or for a common cause; (originally) to resign from political office for the good of one's party; (now usually) to take personal responsibility for a collective failure or wrongdoing, typically by resigning.In origin a metaphorical development of sense 26b.
ΚΠ
1841 Daily Atlas (Boston) 22 Sept. If the Whig Politicians are not stark mad, they won't run from the fruits of a twelve years' contest for the sake of a Bank, or fall upon their swords just as they are flushed with victory.
1903 N.Y. Times 30 Oct. 2/1 There is no tenet of regularity which compels a self-respecting Democrat to fall on his sword at the demand of an accidental leader.
1910 Times 16 June 10/4 The Government by sharp experience know that they will at once split the ranks behind them and fall upon the sword if they formulate any schemes of that kind.
1972 Monroe (Louisiana) News-Star 17 Nov. 3 b/1 Daugherty had little choice but to announce that he would fall on his sword at the end of the season.
1988 Financial Times 28 Nov. 2/2 They chose to fall on their swords when magistrates arrested no fewer than four board members on charges of corruption.
2015 Sc. Mail on Sunday (Nexis) 29 Nov. 1 Downing Street decided someone had to take responsibility for the scandal—and..[the junior minister] was told to fall on his sword.
m. to fall at the first hurdle (also fence, post, etc.): to meet with failure at a very early stage of an undertaking.
ΚΠ
1880 Galveston (Texas) Daily News 15 June He is a good man—a man of ability—but it is thought that he will fall at the first hurdle.
1930 Times of India 2 July 13/2 Miss Sandison disappointed her supporters by falling at the first fence.
1989 Sunday Mail (Queensland) (Nexis) 16 Apr. She will do her utmost to see she falls at the first post by offering wrong advice.
1997 Boxing News 19 Dec. (Amateur Boxing Scene Suppl.) 7/3 He returned to destroy Scot John Daley in one round in Motherwell—only to then fall at the first hurdle in the 1997 ABAs when he was outscored by Ian Cooper.
2007 Church Times 12 Oct. 26/5 Many Christians who are drawn to the practice of contemplation fall at the first fence.
n. Originally U.S. to fall (flat) on one's face (also ass, arse, etc.) and variants: to fail completely, esp. in an embarrassing way.
ΚΠ
1887 Greencastle (Indiana) Banner 17 Mar. When our national commerce fell flat on its face these men stood up and felt almost defiant.
1938 Appleton (Wisconsin) Post-Crescent 30 Nov. 12/1 I didn't need telling that I had fallen on my face.
1977 N.Y. Mar. 52/3 If..it falls on its ass, you can't turn around and blame someone else.
1997 Guardian (Nexis) 14 Aug. t18 If the next series falls on its arse,..we would all look upon it as an opportunity to do other things.
2015 S. Radin Brave Girls viii. 212 Girls this age need reassurance that falling flat on their faces or feeling as if they have failed is perfectly acceptable.
o. colloquial (euphemistic or humorous); originally British. to fall off the back of a lorry (also truck, etc.) and variants: (of goods, etc.) to be acquired in dubious or unspecified circumstances; esp. to be stolen. Sometimes with more general implication that something is of questionable origin or poor quality.The phrase originated in British English as to fall off the back of a lorry, which is still the usual form in British and Irish English; the variant with truck came into use slightly later in Australian and then North American English.Chiefly in the past tense or the perfect.
ΚΠ
1966 N.Y. Times 17 May 58/6 Sports from all over the southeast of London, and wide boys from anywhere, fellows ‘on the fiddle’, always looking for a piece of salable merchandise to ‘fall off the back of a lorry’.
1972 A. Bennett Getting On i. 26 Enid: Where did it [sc. a gravestone] come from? Geoff: Fell off the back of a churchyard.
1977 Times Lit. Suppl. 25 Feb. 211/1 Compared with [Wordsworth's and Arnold's] capabilities, Keble's literary skills look as if they fell off the back of a lorry.
1978 Canberra Times 2 Sept. 3/1 Remember when you used to be able to [buy a shirt for under $6]? Not any more unless it's one that's ‘fallen off the back of a truck’.
1996 Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Jrnl. Sentinel (Nexis) 11 July 1 Top quality merchandise, enough to fill an appliance storeroom, and all at a greatly reduced price. Mainly because ‘it fell off of a truck’.
2001 Wire June 70/3 Some controversy now surrounds material coming from this East London label: has it all fallen off the back of a barrow or is it kosher?
2016 Sunday Independent (Ireland) (Nexis) 27 Nov. 29 The Central Bank..does not care if you saved the money, cadged it from your parents or if it fell off the back of a lorry.
P2. With adjective or noun as complement.
a. to fall open: to open, esp. accidentally or of its own accord.
ΚΠ
1583 J. Foxe Actes & Monuments (ed. 4) II. 2080/2 The Bible as God would haue it, fell open vpon the first chapter of Iosua.
1685 A. Behn Love Lett. between Noble-man & Sister: 2nd Pt. 362 Let go her Gown, which falling open left nothing but her Shift.
1776 Disinterested Love I. xcii. 230 She drew out along with it a little black case, which fell open upon the ground.
1859 Harper's Mag. Feb. 432/1 The drapery of the sleeve, which reaches to the elbow, falls open so as to show the sleeve.
1912 Sat. Evening Post 14 Sept. 11/2 The lock was shattered and the door fell open.
1987 A. Wiseman Mem. of Bk. Molesting Childhood 14 If you hold the book right, it will usually fall open at the good parts.
2002 C. Williams Sugar & Slate 76 Their mouths fall open in disbelief.
b. to fall calm and variants: (of the weather, the wind, etc.) to become calm. Frequently with non-referential it as subject.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > weather > fine weather > [verb (intransitive)] > become calm (of weather or the elements)
calm1399
falla1400
lown?a1600
to fall calm1601
serenify1612
subside1680
lin1693
flat1748
flatten1748
lull1808
to go down1873
1601 W. Walker tr. J. C. van Neck Jrnl. Voy. Eight Shippes of Amsterdam f. 24v Wee came before the Straight of Amboyna, which was verie narrow, after we were entred into the mouth thereof, the weather fell calme.
1670 J. Narborough Jrnl. in Acct. Several Late Voy. (1711) i. 17 It fell calm this Afternoon.
1840 R. H. Dana Two Years before Mast x. 24 In a few minutes it fell dead calm.
1877 Spirit of Times 24 Nov. 438/2 That evening at eight o'clock it fell a perfect calm.
1938 Times 9 July 5/6 It fell calm and yachts lay becalmed from Dunoon to Gourock.
2005 Sunday Tel. (Nexis) 14 Aug. 28 As the wind fell calm and the clouds dispersed..the temperature plummeted.
c. to fall (a) prey (also victim, †sacrifice) to and variants: to become a victim of; to be harmed, destroyed, or killed by; (now) esp. to be deceived or taken in by.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > failure or lack of success > defeat or overthrow > be defeated in [verb (transitive)] > yield or succumb to
to fall (a) prey (also victim, sacrifice) to1635
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > hostile action or attack > make an attack upon [verb (transitive)] > attack (of hostile agency) > suffer attack of
to fall (a) prey (also victim, sacrifice) to1635
to fall a victim to1764
the world > life > death > killing > kill [verb (intransitive)] > be killed
to be deadc1000
fallOE
spilla1300
suffera1616
to fall (a) prey (also victim, sacrifice) toa1774
to lose the number of one's mess1807
to go up1825
to get his (also hers, theirs)1903
to cop (also stop, catch, get, etc.) a packet1916
click1917
not to know (or to wonder) what hit one1923
to get the works1928
to go for a burton1941
(to get) the chop or chopper1945
the world > life > death > [verb (intransitive)]
forsweltc888
sweltc888
adeadeOE
deadc950
wendeOE
i-wite971
starveOE
witea1000
forfereOE
forthfareOE
forworthc1000
to go (also depart , pass, i-wite, chare) out of this worldOE
queleOE
fallOE
to take (also nim, underfo) (the) deathOE
to shed (one's own) blood?a1100
diec1135
endc1175
farec1175
to give up the ghostc1175
letc1200
aswelta1250
leavea1250
to-sweltc1275
to-worthc1275
to yield (up) the ghost (soul, breath, life, spirit)c1290
finea1300
spilla1300
part?1316
to leese one's life-daysa1325
to nim the way of deathc1325
to tine, leave, lose the sweatc1330
flit1340
trance1340
determinec1374
disperisha1382
to go the way of all the eartha1382
to be gathered to one's fathers1382
miscarryc1387
shut1390
goa1393
to die upa1400
expirea1400
fleea1400
to pass awaya1400
to seek out of lifea1400–50
to sye hethena1400
tinea1400
trespass14..
espirec1430
to end one's days?a1439
decease1439
to go away?a1450
ungoc1450
unlivec1450
to change one's lifea1470
vade1495
depart1501
to pay one's debt to (also the debt of) naturea1513
to decease this world1515
to go over?1520
jet1530
vade1530
to go westa1532
to pick over the perch1532
galpa1535
to die the death1535
to depart to God1548
to go home1561
mort1568
inlaikc1575
shuffle1576
finish1578
to hop (also tip, pitch over, drop off, etc.) the perch1587
relent1587
unbreathe1589
transpass1592
to lose one's breath1596
to make a die (of it)1611
to go offa1616
fail1623
to go out1635
to peak over the percha1641
exita1652
drop1654
to knock offa1657
to kick upa1658
to pay nature her due1657
ghost1666
to march off1693
to die off1697
pike1697
to drop off1699
tip (over) the perch1699
to pass (also go, be called, etc.) to one's reward1703
sink1718
vent1718
to launch into eternity1719
to join the majority1721
demise1727
to pack off1735
to slip one's cable1751
turf1763
to move off1764
to pop off the hooks1764
to hop off1797
to pass on1805
to go to glory1814
sough1816
to hand in one's accounts1817
to slip one's breatha1819
croak1819
to slip one's wind1819
stiffen1820
weed1824
buy1825
to drop short1826
to fall (a) prey (also victim, sacrifice) to1839
to get one's (also the) call1839
to drop (etc.) off the hooks1840
to unreeve one's lifeline1840
to step out1844
to cash, pass or send in one's checks1845
to hand in one's checks1845
to go off the handle1848
to go under1848
succumb1849
to turn one's toes up1851
to peg out1852
walk1858
snuff1864
to go or be up the flume1865
to pass outc1867
to cash in one's chips1870
to go (also pass over) to the majority1883
to cash in1884
to cop it1884
snuff1885
to belly up1886
perch1886
to kick the bucket1889
off1890
to knock over1892
to pass over1897
to stop one1901
to pass in1904
to hand in one's marble1911
the silver cord is loosed1911
pip1913
to cross over1915
conk1917
to check out1921
to kick off1921
to pack up1925
to step off1926
to take the ferry1928
peg1931
to meet one's Maker1933
to kiss off1935
to crease it1959
zonk1968
cark1977
to cark it1979
to take a dirt nap1981
1635 W. Habington Castara (ed. 2) ii. 144 The World will fall a prey to lust.
1659 R. Boyle Some Motives & Incentives to Love of God 89 Thousands fall Sacrifices to the severer Attribute.
1759 Crit. Rev. Nov. 379 Unhappy young women..who have perhaps fallen a prey to the sensibility and tenderness of their own hearts.
a1774 R. Fergusson Poems (1785) 182 The ox..fa's a victim to the bludy aix.
1839 T. Beale Nat. Hist. Sperm Whale 298 Brave men have at various times fallen a sacrifice to this kind of daring.
1843 E. Dieffenbach Trav. N.Z. II. 16 The belief in witchcraft..to which many have fallen victim.
1885 Manch. Examiner 6 July 4/6 The..books fell a prey to the flames.
1954 F. C. Lane All about Insect World 86 Even the largest of the spider family, the tarantula, falls victim to a fearless wasp called the tarantula hawk.
1991 A. Campbell Sidewinder iv. 43 In such a demoralised state she could fall an easy prey to a predator like Big Mouth.
2015 Splash Nov. (London ed.) 4/1 Anyone can fall victim to this scam.
d. to fall pregnant: to become pregnant. Cf. earlier to fall with child at Phrases 1b.Not commonly used in North America. rare before the late 20th cent.
ΚΠ
1813 New Eng. Jrnl. Med. & Surg. 2 234 An operation for which she had submitted to a short time before she fell pregnant.
1872 Lancet 2 Mar. 282/1 The patient very soon falls pregnant again.
1959 L. Longmore Dispossessed 88 A number of my informants stated that girls fear sexual intercourse only because they are afraid of falling pregnant.
1994 Inside Soap Aug. 29/3 In a bid to fall pregnant as soon as possible, she keeps dragging Ron off to the stockroom for a quickie!
2006 Good Weekend (Austral.) 1 Apr. 22/1 (heading) At 17, Alison fell pregnant to Tony, but shortly afterwards they broke up.
†P3. In the hypothetical subjunctive.
a. fall what can (also may, will) fall and variants: whatever may happen; come what may. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > causation > chance or causelessness > chance [phrase] > come what may
fall what can (also may, will) fallc1225
avalȝe que valȝe1487
fall back, fall edge?1553
blow high, blow low1774
and chance the ducks1874
(come) rain or shine1905
c1225 (?c1200) St. Juliana (Bodl.) l. 714 (MED) Lokið þet te heouenliche lauerd beo grunt wal of al þet ȝe wurcheð; for þet stont studeuest, falle þet falle.
?c1450 tr. Bk. Knight of La Tour Landry (1906) 37 (MED) Fall what woll fall, y wol do more euell.
1550 J. Heywood Hundred Epigrammes xx. sig. Aviii Who speaketh all And hereth nought, Fall what shall fall, He is yll tought.
1632 P. Massinger Emperour of East ii. i. sig. D2 I will not come behinde, Fall what can fall.
1651 J. Ogilby Fables of Æsop Paraphras'd ii. xxiv. 68 I am resolv'd their Dog-ships, Ape-ships all This day to imitate, fall, what may fall.
1735 G. Ogle Epist. Horace Imitated 8 When most inrag'd the Sea, obscur'd the Sky; Fall what may fall! the Tempest I defy.
1858 Liberator (Boston) 24 Dec. 205/3 Fall what will fall, we are safe if we make righteousness, and fidelity to the Divine Law, our trust.
1883 Irish Monthly 11 540 Fall what will fall, I will do more evil.
b. fall back (also flat), fall edge: whatever happens; come what may; through thick and thin. Cf. back and edge at back n.1 4d. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > difficulty > [phrase] > in all difficulties
in thick and thinc1386
fall back (also flat), fall edge?1553
the mind > will > decision > constancy or steadfastness > [adverb]
anredlyOE
fastlyOE
steadfastly?c1225
stifflyc1290
stably1297
steadfasta1300
stoutly1303
steevely1340
sadlya1375
sturdilyc1374
firm1377
surelyc1380
like a flint1382
tough1398
firmlyc1425
unmovablyc1425
but variancec1430
sad?c1430
immovably1435
toughlyc1450
affirmlya1513
wishly1530
constantly1534
steadily1540
fall back (also flat), fall edge?1553
staidly1571
fixedly1605
indeclinably1624
undeclinably1662
unfalteringly1665
unswervingly1805
unwaveringly1830
indomitably1837
rockily1846
unbendingly1847
indivertibly1853
unshakeablya1864
undyingly1881
unshakenly1882
adamantly1897
the world > existence and causation > causation > chance or causelessness > chance [phrase] > come what may
fall what can (also may, will) fallc1225
avalȝe que valȝe1487
fall back, fall edge?1553
blow high, blow low1774
and chance the ducks1874
(come) rain or shine1905
?1553 Respublica (1952) v. v. 50 Well, fall backe, fall edge, I am ons att a poincte If Respublica come taduenture a Ioyncte.
1578 M. Jennings tr. E. de Maisonneufve Gerileon of Englande i. xxi. f. 100 Fall backe, fall edge, no hap so hard, no, nor feare of death, during the safety of this Vessell, shall inforce mee to chaunge my purpose.
1622 J. Mabbe tr. M. Alemán Rogue i. 9 Fall backe, fall Edge, goe which way you will to worke.
1657 T. Burroughes Soveraign Remedy Grief 15 The looking upon a command as given by God, will frame the soul to the obedience of it, fall back, fall edge.
1740 G. Keith Let. 15 June in G. H. Jones Main Stream Jacobitism (1954) vii. 209 ‘Mr. Keith,’ exclaimed the duke, ‘fall flat, fall edge, we must get rid of those people.’
1744 R. North & M. North Life Sir D. North & Rev. J. North 66 His Way was to go to the Truth of Things, and, fall Back fall Edge, there he stuck.
1830 W. Scott Jrnl. 22 Dec. (1946) 127 Fall back, fall Edge, nothing shall induce me to publis[h] what [etc.].
1902 A. C. Laut Heralds of Empire i. iv. 60 Fall-back—fall-edge! If there's any hacking of necks, mine is thicker than yours! I'll run the risks.
P4. In the optative subjunctive.
a. foul (also shame) fall —— and variants: may ill fortune, disgrace, etc., befall (someone or something). Chiefly Scottish after Middle English. Now archaic and rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > malediction > oaths > [interjection] > oaths other than religious or obscene > imprecations
woeOE
dahetc1290
confoundc1330
foul (also shame) fall ——c1330
sorrow on——c1330
in the wanianda1352
wildfirea1375
evil theedomc1386
a pestilence on (also upon)c1390
woe betide you (also him, her, etc.)c1390
maldathaita1400
murrainc1400
out ona1415
in the wild waning worldc1485
vengeance?a1500
in a wanion1549
with a wanion1549
woe worth1553
a plague on——a1566
with a wanion to?c1570
with a wanyand1570
bot1584
maugre1590
poxa1592
death1593
rot1594
rot on1595
cancro1597
pax1604
pize on (also upon)1605
vild1605
peascod1606
cargo1607
confusion1608
perditiona1616
(a) pest upon1632
deuce1651
stap my vitals1697
strike me blind, dumb, lucky (if, but—)1697
stop my vitals1699
split me (or my windpipe)1700
rabbit1701
consume1756
capot me!1760
nick me!1760
weary set1788
rats1816
bad cess to1859
curse1885
hanged1887
buggeration1964
c1330 Otuel (Auch.) (1882) l. 108 (MED) He seide to him amydde his halle, ‘Sire king, foule mote þe falle!’
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 2378 Lo! þer þe falssyng, foule mot hit falle!
a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1882) iv. l. 462 Now fowle falle here þat for þi wo hath care.
1567 Compend. Bk. Godly Songs (1897) 205 Schame fall the cumpanie.
a1585 P. Hume Flyting with Montgomerie (Tullibardine) ix. 60 in Poems A. Montgomerie (2000) I. 173 Purspeiller, hen steiller, cat keiller, now I knaw þe, Rubiatour, fornicatour by natour, foul fa the.
1594 J. Dickenson Arisbas sig. D3v Foule fall the wagge that lost so rare a iewell.
1718 A. Ramsay Elegies 13 Shame faw ye'r Chandler Chafts, O Death.
a1775 Hobie Noble i, in F. J. Child Eng. & Sc. Pop. Ballads (1890) IV. vii. clxxxix. 2/1 Foul fa the breast first treason bred in!
1810 J. Cock Simple Strains 91 Foul fa' the sly bewitchin' heap Cou'd turn hersel' in ony shape.
1830 Ld. Tennyson Grasshopper in Poems 108 Shame fall 'em.
1860 T. Martin tr. Horace Odes 218 Foul fall the day.
1901 Border Mag. Nov. 67/1 Now gentlemen, ye know the price of a conventicle, and shame fall them that tires first!
1957 D. L. Sayers tr. Song of Roland 126 Foul fall you, accursed Paynim wretch!
b. fair fall —— and variants: may good fortune befall (someone or something); all the best to. Now esp. in fair fa ye, often used as an expression of greeting, welcome, or farewell. Now chiefly Scottish, English regional (northern) and Irish English (northern).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > prosperity > in prosperous condition [phrase] > fortunately > wish for another's good fortune
well worthc1275
winc1400
fair fall ——c1430
wally fall1568
more power to a person (also a person's elbow, arm)1831
c1430 (c1395) G. Chaucer Legend Good Women (Cambr. Gg.4.27) (1879) Prol. l. 180 I preye to god that euere falle sche fayre [c1450 Fairf. 16 falle hire faire].
a1450 York Plays (1885) 125 Faire falle þe my faire sone.
1523 J. Skelton Goodly Garlande of Laurell 27 Fair fall that forster that so well can bate his hownde.
1609 Euerie Woman in her Humor sig. A4v Then most rydent starre? faire fall ye.
1651 R. Baxter Plain Script. Proof Infants Church-membership & Baptism 100 Fair fall to the Antinomians.
1786 R. Burns To Haggis in Poems & Songs (1968) I. 310 Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face.
1821 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. 10 395/2 The fish-woman at once consented to this proposal, with ‘Fair fa' ye, ma bonny man!’
1884 R. Holland Gloss. Words County of Chester (1886) 117 Fair-faw Johnny; he's best lad o' th' two.
1996 Irish Times 12 Sept. 1/2 Enthusiasts [of Ulster Scots] who say fair fa' ye, whit wey gangs ye? in preference to ‘hello, how do you do’?
2005 M. Fitt Email 20 June (SCOTS) We'll git back in touch.... Fair fa ye, Matthew.
P5. In various idiomatic expressions (besides those mentioned under the senses to which they belong). the apple never falls far from the tree: see apple n. Phrases 4. the bigger they are, the harder they fall: see big adj. and adv. Phrases 2. the bottom falls out (of): see bottom n. and adj. Phrases 6. to fall flat: see flat adj. 7c. to fall in hand (with): see hand n. Phrases 2e. to fall into the lap of: see lap n.1 6. to let fall a perpendicular: see let v.1 22h. as easy as falling off a log: see log n.1 1b. how are the mighty fallen: see mighty n. 2b. to fall at square: see square n. Phrases 2. to fall between two stools: see stool n. 3. to fall off the wagon: see wagon n. Additions. to fall by the wayside: see wayside n. and adj. Phrases.

Phrasal verbs

PV1. With adverbs in specialized senses. to fall aboard
1. intransitive.
†a. To accompany or become associated with; to come to an agreement with. Obsolete.Common in 17th cent.
ΚΠ
a1425 J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1869) I. 294 Men þat now dremen an accident wiþouten suget mai falle aborde wiþ þese foolis.
1602 N. Breton Wonders Worth Hearing sig. D3 An olde Widower comming to my house..fell into so great a liking of her beauty, that leauing to fall aboord with her for, and so forsooth, began to tell her, [etc.]
1604 F. T. Case is Altered sig. C3v He falls aboord with him for her, to haue her for his seruant.
1621 R. Burton Anat. Melancholy ii. ii. iv. 350 [He would] sometimes ride and walke alone, and fall aboord with any Tinker, Clowne, Seruingman, Carrier, or whomsoeuer he met first.
1640 R. Brathwait Ar't Asleepe Husband? 33 Thus his cold suite continued, till she falling aboord with a more amiable and affectionate Suiter; [etc.].
b. Of a ship or boat: to collide with or come very close to the side of another vessel, either deliberately as a means of attack or (in later use esp.) accidentally. Usually with of. Cf. to fall aboard—— 1a at Phrasal verbs 2. Now archaic and rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > shipwreck > suffer shipwreck [verb (intransitive)] > strike a rock > strike its side (of ship)
to fall aboard1588
1588 R. Parke tr. J. G. de Mendoza Hist. Kingdome of China 169 The saide ship did fall aborde there whereas was their captaine Omoncon.
1589 Voy. W. Towrson in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations i. 124 By the euill worke of his men the shippe fell aboorde of vs..and the shippes wailes were broken with her outleger.
1622 R. Hawkins Observ. Voiage South Sea lix. 135 The Captaine (or Admirall) should bring himselfe vppon our weather bowe, and so fall abourd of vs, vpon our broade-side.
1744 J. Philips Authentic Jrnl. Exped. Anson 187 At 8 the Prize fell aboard of us, and it was with much Difficulty we got clear of her.
1797 in Naval Chron. (1799) 2 503 The Spanish Ships San Josef and San Nicholas, being much disabled, fell aboard of each other.
1839 J. F. Cooper Hist. Navy U.S. II. xvi. 249 She got stern way, and fell aboard of the enemy, with her mizzen-rigging foul of the Shannon's fore-chains.
1996 P. O'Brian Yellow Admiral iv. 99 She very nearly fell aboard of me in a very simple manoeuvre.
†c. With of, on, or upon. To accost or assail; to attack physically or verbally. Cf. to fall aboard—— 1b at Phrasal verbs 2. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > hostile action or attack > make attack [verb (intransitive)]
onreseeOE
onslayc1275
entera1425
to be upon (also on) a person's jack1588
endeavour?1589
to fall aboard1591
to let fly1611
strikea1616
to lift (up) the hand(s, (occasionally one's arm)1655
to fall on board (of)1658
tilt1708
to walk into ——1794
to run in1815
to peg it1834
to sail in1856
to wade in1863
to light in1868
to roll into ——1888
to make for ——1893
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > hostile action or attack > make attack [verb (intransitive)] > attack with words, etc.
to let fly1590
to fall aboard1591
to hit out1856
1591 R. Greene Notable Discouery of Coosenage f. 10v If the poore Farmar be bashfull, & passeth by one of these shameles strumpets, then wil she verse it with him, & claime acquaintance of him, and by some policie or other fall aboard on him, and carrie him into some house or other.
1654 E. Chilmead tr. T. Campanella Disc. Spanish Monarchy xxiii. 142 He presently..agrees upon a Cessation of Armes with them, and then immediately falls aboard of some other.
1661 G. Whitehead Son of Perdition Revealed To Rdr. sig. B I found it meet that it [sc. his Book] should be answered, for the end to clear the way of Truth from his false and foul aspersions,..though I was not hasty in falling a-board upon him.
1732 J. Bisset Mod. Erastianism Unvailed i. 28 In the same Page the Author falls aboard of the Considerer's Distinction of active and passive Toleration.
1842 Raleigh Reg. & N.-Carolina Gaz. 1 Mar. The ‘Jeffersonian’ very rudely falls aboard of us, and pronounces the statement..‘utterly false’.
†2. intransitive.
a. To begin eating, esp. voraciously. Also with on or (occasionally) of. Cf. to fall aboard—— 2 at Phrasal verbs 2. Obsolete.Common in 17th cent.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > eat [verb (intransitive)] > begin to eat
to fall aboard1498
to fall to1577
to stand toa1616
win to1816
to get to1827
to dig in1912
1498 Interpr. Names Goddis & Goddesses (de Worde) sig. Aiij/1 I praye you goddis all And goddesses yt ben here present That ye companably woll aborde fall.
1613 H. Parrot Laquei Ridiculosi sig. H4v Next meale, findes the like and falls aboard, Eating what then his stomack could afford.
1675 A. Roberts tr. D. Vairasse d'Allais Hist. Sevarites I. ii. 115 The Rat..met with an Ostrich-Pye, on which it fell aboard without any manners.
1707 J. Stevens tr. Justina in Spanish Libertines 63 I had order'd..some Fritters stuff'd with Tow instead of Apples, and it was pleasant enough to see all the Company fall aboard.
1762 St. James's Chron. 12 Jan. He..squinted towards another Piece [of Cake] adjoining to his own, and seemed ready to fall aboard of it.
b. More generally: to apply oneself to a task or undertaking, esp. in a purposeful or energetic manner; to get to work. Also with with or of. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > undertaking > beginning action or activity > begin action or activity [verb (intransitive)]
beginc1000
onginOE
aginOE
ginc1175
to go tillc1175
to take onc1175
comsea1225
fanga1225
to go toc1275
i-ginc1275
commencec1320
to get (also get down, go, go adown, set, set down) to workc1400
to lay to one's hand(sc1405
to put to one's hand (also hands)c1410
to set toc1425
standa1450
to make to1563
to fall to it1570
to start out1574
to fall to1577
to run upon ——1581
to break off1591
start1607
to set in1608
to set to one's hands1611
to put toa1616
to fall ona1625
in1633
to fall aboard1642
auspicatea1670
to set out1693
to enter (into) the fray1698
open1708
to start in1737
inchoate1767
to set off1774
go1780
start1785
to on with1843
to kick off1857
to start in on1859
to steam up1860
to push off1909
to cut loose1923
to get (also put) the show on the road1941
to get one's arse in gear1948
the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > carry on vigorously [verb (transitive)]
driveOE
to drive through1523
push1561
urge1565
to fall aboard1642
whack1719
beef1860
the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > carry on vigorously [verb (transitive)] > apply oneself to vigorously
to stand to ——?a1400
to shove at1542
to fall upon ——1617
to work awaya1635
to fall aboard1642
to fall on ——1650
to go at ——1675
to pitch into ——1823
to lay into1880
to be (also go) at the ——1898
to sail in1936
1642 J. Austin Zealous Serm. preached at Amsterdam Not to make any long preamble, or to use many circumlocutions but to fall aboard with my text.
1647 J. Howell New Vol. of Lett. 173 I have sent your Lorship this small survay of the Latine..; In my next I shall fall aboard of her three daughters, viz. the Italian, the Spanish, and the French.
a1680 S. Butler Genuine Remains (1759) I. 93 To lose no further Time, he fell aboard.
1680 V. Alsop Mischief Impositions ii. 11 To what end are these Positions, Suppositions, and Preliminaries?.. Why does he not fall aboard with his Text, and storm it?
 to fall about
†1. intransitive. Apparently: to apply oneself energetically to a task. Cf. sense 47d. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > endeavour > searching or seeking > make a search [verb (intransitive)]
seekc1000
ofsechec1300
searchc1330
laita1400
ripea1400
to cast about1575
to fall about1632
quest1669
to bush about or out1686
beat1709
to cast about one1823
feather1892
1632 S. Rutherford Let. 14 Jan. in Joshua Redivivus (1664) 448 It is high time we were all upon our feet, & falling about to try what claim we have to Christ.
2. intransitive.
a. To stumble or stagger around; to fall all over the place.
ΚΠ
1821 H. Hunt Investig. at Ilchester Gaol 110/2 I never saw him drunk so as to fall about like a drunken man.
1841 W. H. Schreiner Sporting Man. ii. iv. 113 He [sc. a dog] becomes weak in the loins, which causes him to stagger and fall about.
1914 E. H. W. Hulse Let. 28 Dec. in L. Housman War Lett. Fallen Englishmen (2002) 147 An old hare started up..and one and all, British and Germans, rushed about giving chase, slipping up on the frozen plough, falling about.
2003 A. Wilson Beautiful Shadow xxii. 287 She didn't fall about, like most alcoholics don't.
b. colloquial (chiefly British). To laugh uncontrollably; to become helpless with laughter. Frequently in to fall about laughing, to fall about with laughter.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pleasure > laughter > laugh [verb (intransitive)] > start laughing
buff1611
to burst out (on) a-laughing1711
to burst (out) into laughter1853
to burst out laughing1871
to fall about1918
the mind > emotion > pleasure > laughter > types of laughter > laugh in specific manner [verb (intransitive)] > laugh convulsively or immoderately
chuckle1598
to split (also break, burst, etc.) one's sides1598
to die with, or of laughing1609
to hold one's sides1609
to laugh till (also until) one cries1611
split1688
to burst one's sides1712
shake1729
to shake one's sides1736
to laugh oneself sick (also silly)1773
roll1819
to laugh one's head off1871
to break up1895
to fall about1918
pee1946
1918 R. Pertwee Old Card iii. 64 The house rocked and fell about with laughter.
1930 ‘H. Z. Smith’ Not so Quiet i. 28 The B.F. turns crimson and the rest of us fall about. Then, the joke over, we as suddenly grow quiet again.
1962 Guardian 21 Dec. 5/5 Anyone who..can sugar this pill among Shakespearean comedy until we fall about laughing needs no justification from critics.
1997 Theatre July 8/2 I just said one line of dialogue and everybody in the room fell about. But I was being totally serious.
2012 FourFourTwo Apr. 89/2 When he drove this banger into the car park we all fell about laughing.
† to fall adown
intransitive. To drop or sink downwards; to collapse; to descend; to fall down. Obsolete (archaic in later use).
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > move downwards [verb (intransitive)]
styc825
astyc975
alightOE
to fall adownOE
hieldc1275
downcomea1300
sink?a1300
avalec1374
to go downa1375
to come downc1380
dipc1390
descenda1393
clinea1400
declinea1400
downc1400
inclinec1400
vailc1400
fallc1440
devall1477
condescendc1485
to get down1567
lower1575
dismount1579
to fall down1632
down?1701
demount1837
OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 2nd Ser. (Cambr. Gg.3.28) x. 82 Þær feoll adune swilce of ðam hrofe wearm hlaf mid his syflinge.
?a1300 Sayings St. Bernard (Digby) in F. J. Furnivall Minor Poems Vernon MS (1901) ii. 762 (MED) Stond, ne fal namore adoun For a luytel blast!
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 8270 Þe on half [of the body] vel adoun anon, þe oþer bileuede stille In þe sadel.
a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 277 (MED) Þe stoon falliþ adoun of þe reynes toward þe bladdre bi þe weie of þe vrine.
a1513 H. Bradshaw Lyfe St. Werburge (1521) i. xii. sig. e.ii His gloues..shortly to grounde, falled adowne.
1572 T. Churchyard tr. Ovid Thre First Bookes De Tristibus i. f. 2 While Icarus wyth tender winges did clyme the starrye skye, In surging Seas he fell adowne.
1619 J. Higgins Falles Vnfortunate Princes 161 Fortune..With pleasures all a while, she doth their fancies fill, And at the last doth let them fall adowne againe.
1714 J. Gay Shepherd's Week iv. 38 Oh dear! I fall adown, adown, adown!
1796 E. Day Poems & Fugitive Pieces 93 The ground was rough, she fell adown,—Good Lord, how she did cry!
1862 T. P. Bell Young Hero v. 64 Now an old comrade falls adown hard by.
1917 E. B. Stanton Fata Morgana xvi. 163 The petals that occasionally fell adown from the magnolia flowers o'er head.
 to fall apart
1. intransitive. To go in different directions; to move apart; to separate.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going away > go away [verb (intransitive)] > part or go away in different directions
dealc1000
shedc1000
twin?c1225
departc1290
to-go13..
parta1325
severc1375
disseverc1386
to part companya1400
discontinue1576
to fall apart1599
flya1677
separate1794
dispart1804
split1843
1599 N. Downton in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations (new ed.) II. ii. 200 When my care was most..by the burning asunder of our spritsaile-yard.., we fell apart, with burning of some of our sailes which we had then on boord.
1605 B. Jonson Sejanus iv. i. sig. H2v Where are my Sons? Nero? and Drusus? We are they be shot at; Let us fall apart . View more context for this quotation
1865 Times 8 June 10/6 At hotels and in railway cars, at home and in Europe, they naturally fell apart, each section keeping to itself.
1893 L. Villari Here & There in Italy 236 Again the mountains fall apart, and in a wide basin of corn-land and pasture lies the bourgade of La Thuile.
1974 J. Willwerth Jones: Portrait of Mugger iii. 37 The fingers move almost independently,..steepling as they come together in the air, diving and falling apart and dancing on the coffee table for emphasis.
2015 Guardian 3 Nov. 44/2 Occasionally two of them [sc. starlings]..suddenly pop back up, all legs and squabbling beak, then they fall apart and resume the stab-and-prise feeding technique.
2. intransitive.
a. Of a material thing: to break into pieces or disintegrate, esp. from long use or wear. Cf. sense 30a.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > breaking or cracking > break [verb (intransitive)]
burstc1000
breakc1175
rendc1275
cracka1400
perbreak?a1400
crazec1430
twinc1450
frush1489
to fall apart1761
fracture1885
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separation or breaking up into constituent parts > undergo separation into constituents [verb (intransitive)] > cease to cohere > disintegrate
flitter1548
to fall apart1761
disintegrate1817
1761 A. Catcott Treat. Deluge ii. 198 Those that are of the same substance throughout (as flinty, alabaster nodules, &c commonly are) when broken, split or fall apart in all kinds of directions.
1839 Heath's Bk. of Beauty 202 The lightest gauzes..fell apart when caught on the keen edge of his blade.
1925 Woman's World (Chicago) Apr. 5/1 They could not afford to make furniture that would fall apart after a mere fifty years.
1980 W. J. Smith Army Brat (1982) i. vi. 60 The..sacks..were wet and falling apart.
2009 E. Gillard Tale of Cheltenham Lady xiii. 89 When his shoes fell apart he would fix them with superglue.
b. Of a system, institution, plan, etc.: to stop functioning; to become ineffective or unsuccessful; to fail, come to nothing.In the phrase things fall apart often with allusion to quot. 1920, with reference to the collapse of society or of the prevailing social order; cf. the centre cannot hold at centre n.1 and adj. Phrases 2.to fall apart at the seams: see seam n.1 1d.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > failure or lack of success > fail or be unsuccessful [verb (intransitive)] > collapse or come to nothing
forworthc1000
folda1250
quailc1450
fruster?a1513
to come to nothing1523
to give out?1523
to fall to the ground?1526
quealc1530
to come to, end in, vanish into, smoke1604
intercide1637
to fall to dirt1670
to go off1740
to fall through1770
to fall apart1833
collapse1838
to run into the sand (also, now less commonly, sands)1872
to blow up1934
to blow out1939
1833 Reg. Deb. Congr. 9 349 What he had supposed to be a stable Government was a crumbling mass, tottering to its ruin, falling apart under its own cumbrous weight.
1856 C. G. Comegys tr. P.-V. Renouard Hist. Med. viii. x. 533 After the death of the celebrated professor of Leyden [sc. Boerhaave], the iatro-mechanical doctrine fell apart.
1920 W. B. Yeats Second Coming in Dial Nov. 466 Things fall apart; the centre can not hold, Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.
1958 C. Achebe (title) Things fall apart.
1979 Washington Post 16 Apr. d4/1 Their carefully conceived game plan fell apart.
1996 J. D. Porteous Environmental Aesthetics ii. 73 Things fall apart. But not for the general public, who are still enjoying the trickle down of eighteenth and nineteenth-century elite notions.
2012 N. Hawley Good Father (2013) 16 My marriage to Ellen fell apart.
c. Of a person: (a) (in sporting contexts) to suffer a complete collapse in performance (sometimes also with implications of physical collapse); (b) to lose the ability to cope or function effectively; spec. to have a mental or emotional breakdown.
ΚΠ
1893 Boston Sunday Globe 9 July 3/1 He fell apart in the fourth and fifth innings, when Pittsburg pulled out seven runs.
1914 G. V. Hobart Boobs ii. 32 Georgie was getting along very nicely until one day somebody told him he was clever—then he fell apart.
1939 C. Odets Rocket to Moon ii. 133 Cooper. I'm falling apart by inches. (Suddenly sobbing) Where can I sail away? To where? I'm ashamed to live!
1969 Walla Walla (Washington) Union-Bull. 16 Feb. (Progress ed.) h10/1 You can tell other girls how to handle men..but when it's your guy—you fall apart like a boarding school passion puppy on her first date!
1998 Boxing Monthly Apr. 45/1 Lewis loses early rounds but unloads heavy punches in fourth and fifth and Wilson falls apart.
2008 C. Cleave Other Hand vii. 259 You can't imagine what would happen to me if I lost Sarah. I'd fall apart. I'd hit the bottle. Bam. It'd be the end of me.
 to fall astern
intransitive. Nautical. Esp. of a ship or boat: to move or be driven backwards; to fall behind.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > direct or manage ship [verb (intransitive)] > head in a certain course or direction > go astern
to fall astern1599
to back water1808
to make a stern-board1815
stern1845
society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > direct or manage ship [verb (intransitive)] > head in a certain course or direction > fall behind
lag1530
to fall astern1599
drop1823
1599 R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations (new ed.) II. ii. 40 We thought to lay the great ship aboord, and as soone as the French Admirall went roome with him, he fell a sterne and could not fetch him.
1628 World Encompassed by Sir F. Drake 45 Being glad oftentimes, to alter our course, and to fall asterne againe.
1659 J. Collins Navigation by Mariners Plain Scale new Plain'd i. ii. 18 If you stem a Current, if it be swifter then the Ships way, you fall a stern.
1760 Voy. & Cruises Commodore Walker I. i. v. 65 The Sunderland lost her main-top-mast in coming up, by which she fell astern.
1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine sig. R1v To Fall a-stern, to be driven backwards; to retreat with the stern foremost: expressed of the motion of a ship either under sail or at anchor.
1834 F. Marryat Peter Simple III. xii. 159 The boat fell astern, leaving two Spaniards clinging to the side.
1920 J. S. Corbett Naval Operations I. xxix. 436 The Leipzig, being the rearmost and slowest ship, could not stand the increasing speed and was falling astern.
2004 A. C. Bivens From Sailboats to Submarines xii. 181 The usual AGI routine was to approach us and then fall astern and follow us for several miles.
 to fall away
1. intransitive. To become detached and drop off.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > falling > fall [verb (intransitive)] > off, out, or away
atfalla1000
to fall awayc1300
to fall outc1300
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separation or detachment > become detached [verb (intransitive)] > fall off or out
to fall offeOE
fallOE
to fall awayc1300
to fall forth1560
absciss1918
c1300 St. Thomas Becket (Laud) l. 2387 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 175 His flesch rotede..and al dai ful awei, Þat is bones weren al bare.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 19691 Skales fell fra his eien a-wai.
a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 179 If þou wolt kepe heeris þat þei schulen not falle awei.
?a1500 in G. Henslow Med. Wks. 14th Cent. (1899) 2 (MED) Þan take þe cloþ and put hit in cold water þat þe superfleuyte of alym falle a-wey.
1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry i. f. 39 Flowres..which falling away, leaueth behinde them little round knoppes.
1612 tr. J. Guillemeau Nursing of Children xxvi. 109 in Child-birth This medicine doth kill and drie vp the Pustules, which will fall away of themselues, without pulling them off.
1737 H. Bracken Farriery Improved xxxiv. 488 The Hair will stare in many Places, peel off, and fall away, and a loathsom Scurf remains after it.
1862 J. Tyndall Mountaineering in 1861 ii. 14 Portions of snow had fallen away from the upper slope.
1906 Gardening Illustr. 10 Nov. 512/1 Some of the leaves will turn yellow, but, though unsightly, they should not be clipped off, but allowed to fall away naturally.
2013 A. Lindhout & S. Corbett House in Sky 316 I'd developed a bad cough. My hair was falling away in clumps.
2. intransitive.
a. To abandon or renounce one's religious faith or moral practice; to apostatize. Frequently with from.Earliest in fall away from grace at grace n. Phrases 4b.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > aspects of faith > apostasy > be or become apostate [verb (intransitive)]
renayc1300
to go backward1382
to fall awayc1384
to stand behindc1475
to turn (one's) tippet1546
relapse1563
backslide1581
apostate1596
apostatize1611
renegade1611
apostasize1696
renegado1731
renege1744
society > faith > aspects of faith > apostasy > renounce (God or Christ) [verb (transitive)]
withsayc960
forsake toa1225
renayc1300
to fall from ——c1350
refusec1350
to fall awayc1384
renege1548
revolt1673
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Gal. v. 4 Ȝe that ben iustified in the lawe han fallen awey fro grace [L. a gratia excidistis].
1531 W. Tyndale Expos. Fyrste Epist. St. Jhon (ii.) sig. D.v For loue of the world many ar this day fallen away.
1597 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie v. xlii. 84 Some fell..away..from..soundnes of beliefe.
1611 Bible (King James) Luke viii. 13 These..for a while beleeue, and in time of temptation fall away . View more context for this quotation
1700 C. Nesse Antidote against Arminianism 61 The Arminians..may..also be stiled Relapsarians, for saying, that the Elect may totally and finally fall away.
1751 J. Wesley Wks. (1872) X. 285 I believe a saint may fall away.
1824 W. Scott Redgauntlet III. viii. 234 O Joshua..wilt thou thus fall away from the truth?
1867 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest I. iv. 236 Large numbers of the Normans..fell away from Christianity.
1939 M. Steinberg As Driven Leaf (2005) 136 These Christian and Gnostic heresies into which so many have fallen away.
2015 H. Brencher If you find this Let. 104 She'd fallen away from God and had been shunned by the church.
b. To abandon, desert, or withdraw one's support from a person, party, organization, or cause. Usually with from (also occasionally with to, expressing the person, party, etc., defected to).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > reversal of or forsaking one's will or purpose > reverse or abandon one's purpose [verb (intransitive)] > desert one's party or principles
declinec1374
starta1450
revert?a1525
to fall away1535
to turn (one's) tippet1546
revolt1549
shrink1553
to turn one's coat1565
to come over1576
apostate1596
to change (one's) sides1596
defect1596
renegade1611
to change foot1618
to run over1643
to face about1645
apostatize1648
tergiverse1675
tergiversate1678
desert1689
apostasize1696
renegado1731
rat1810
to cross the floor1822
turncoat1892
to take (the) soup1907
turn1977
1535 Bible (Coverdale) 2 Chron. x. 19 Thus fell Israel awaie from the house of Dauid.
1575 T. Twyne tr. H. Bullinger Trag. Tyrantes xx. f. 100v Hauing excomunicated any Prince: they withdrue the subiectes from obeying him, and exhorted them to raise tumultes, and fall away from him.
1611 Bible (King James) 2 Kings xxv. 11 The fugitiues that fell away to the king of Babylon. View more context for this quotation
1772 J. H. Wynne Gen. Hist. Ireland I. 377 His army.., being dispirited at what had happened, began to fall away from him.
1858 T. H. Lewin Let. 25 Nov. in Lewin Lett. (1909) II. v. 202 Only a few of the..rebels..still stubbornly hold their ground; but their followers are falling away.
1889 A. Conan Doyle Micah Clarke xxxiii. 362 I am surprised..that you should have fallen away from that allegiance.
1914 H. Mattingly Outl. Anc. Hist. vi. 267 Rome pushed her influence into Campania and that country began to fall away from the Samnites and join her.
2014 J. Adams Women & Vote viii. 220 Those with a more sophisticated view of society had long since fallen away from the WSPU, leaving only the zealots.
†3. intransitive. To stop talking about a particular subject. With from. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > taciturnity or reticence > be silent/refrain from speaking [verb (intransitive)] > cease to mention
letc1275
to let bec1275
to fall awaya1413
stinta1500
failc1650
not to say (pea-) turkey1909
a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1882) iii. l. 1306 Late vs falle a-wey fro þis matere For it suffisith þis þat seyd is here.
1568 T. Harding Detection Sundrie Foule Errours iv. f. 217v You are fallen away from the matter of Succession, which only Tertullian presseth, and are now come to demaunde [etc.].
4. intransitive.
a. Of something belonging to, characterizing, or affecting a person, as a quality, feeling, problem, etc.: to disappear completely or suddenly; to vanish, cease to exist.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > invisibility > be or become invisible [verb (intransitive)] > vanish or disappear
formeltc893
wendOE
witea1000
aworthc1000
fleec1200
fleetc1200
withdraw1297
vanish1303
voidc1374
unkithea1400
startc1405
disappearc1425
disparishc1425
to fall awayc1443
evanish?a1475
vade1495
sinka1500
vade1530
fly1535
fadea1538
melt?1567
dispear1600
relinquish1601
foist1603
dispersea1616
to vanish (melt, etc.) into thin aira1616
dissipate1626
retire1647
evaporate1713
merge1802
illude1820
to foam off1826
dislimn1833
furl1844
to step out1844
evanesce1855
shade1880
wisp1883
to go to the winds1884
walk1898
to do a disappearing act1913
to go west1916
to do (or take) a fade1949
to phase out1970
c1443 R. Pecock Reule of Crysten Religioun (1927) 386 Þat..þese inward disposiciouns aftir þat þei ben geten schulen soner falle awey þan in oþere men..bi cause of more mouabilnes in affectif party.
c1475 (c1445) R. Pecock Donet (1921) 10 (MED) Forto kepe in store alle þe same..knowingis..þat þei falle not soon aweie.
1533 T. More Answere Poysened Bk. ii. x. f. cxlviv That fayth myght it self fall quyte awaye to.
1611 Bible (King James) 1 Macc. iv. 32 Cause the boldness of their strength to fall away . View more context for this quotation
1871 R. Ellis tr. Catullus Poems li. 6 Within me Every lost sense falleth away for anguish.
1918 M. H. McCarter Reclaimers ii. x. 205 Laura's anger fell away. It was too ridiculous to engage in a quarrel.
1988 M. Bradbury Unsent Lett. 83 All of the difficulties more or less fell away and what remained was..an outstanding masterwork.
2001 B. R. Barber Truth of Power iv. 129 The dour expression that had settled on Henry's face..fell away in an instant.
b. Law. Of a stipulation, right, etc.: to lapse or cease to apply; to be waived or removed.
ΚΠ
1907 Rep. Conf. Directors & Representatives Public Bodies, Bulawayo (Brit. S. Afr. Company) 8/2 When the Charter falls away, the right to do all this falls away also.
1957 Internat. Law Rep. 19 47 Once the Statute of Westminster removed the Colonial Laws Validity Act..the provision in Article 50 that amendments to the constitution had to be in terms of the Treaty fell away.
1986 A. S. Mathews Freedom, State Security & Rule of Law 133 By restrictive interpretation the silencing clause should not apply to prohibitions that have fallen away.
2006 R. Pearce & S. Barnes Raising Venture Capital xxi. 186 An ‘all or nothing’ process under which the pre-emption rights fall away unless all rights are taken up.
5. intransitive.
a. To decay, deteriorate; to decrease in size, amount, or intensity; to diminish.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > decrease or reduction in quantity, amount, or degree > decrease in quantity, amount, or degree [verb (intransitive)] > decline or fall off
afalleOE
swindOE
slakec1315
pairc1390
fade1398
to fall awayc1510
decline1530
to fall off1608
sink1613
recess1641
fail1819
lighten1827
the world > matter > condition of matter > bad condition of matter > deteriorate in condition [verb (intransitive)] > be decayed > decay
to-dreseOE
forbraidc1220
perisha1382
fret1486
to fall awayc1510
decay1511
pallc1560
c1510 Gesta Romanorum (de Worde) sig. G.vv Ye worldly vanytees whiche faden and fall awaye lyke as the fayrnesse of man.
1576 A. Fleming tr. Apollonius in Panoplie Epist. 223 All things..when they are at their ful ripenesse, then are they most fit to fall away and pearish.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 1 (1623) iii. i. 197 Till bones and flesh and sinewes fall away . View more context for this quotation
1697 J. Addison Ess. Georgics in J. Dryden tr. Virgil Wks. sig. ¶4 In a Curious Brede of Needle-Work, one Colour falls away by..just degrees, and another rises..insensibly.
1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 111. ¶5 How can it enter into the Thoughts of Man, that the Soul..shall fall away into nothing, almost as soon as it is created?
1827 H. W. Longfellow in S. Longfellow Life H. W. Longfellow (1891) I. viii. 106 The cottages [are] ruinous and falling away piecemeal.
1889 A. Conan Doyle Micah Clarke xxiii. 241 The breeze has fallen away to nothing.
1952 Washington Post 31 Dec. 18/6 He used to eat so well..but his appetite has fallen away to almost nothing.
2005 Northern Echo 6 Sept. 14/4 I think this is a spike and that prices will fall away in September.
b. To lose weight, esp. through illness; to become thin or lean; to waste away. Now regional.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > bodily shape or physique > slim shape or physique > slim [verb (intransitive)] > shrink
to fall away1527
fall?1528
to fall in1607
lanka1616
pitch1751
fine1873
the world > space > extension in space > reduction in size or extent > become reduced in size or extent [verb (intransitive)] > gradually > by loss of substance
wastec1400
to fall away1527
ablate1914
1527 L. Andrewe tr. H. Brunschwig Vertuose Boke Distyllacyon sig. E.i/1 Dronke of the same water,..two or thre wekes contynuynge is good for them that falleth awaye after they be emendyd of sekenes.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 544/1 I fall awaye, I wax leane of flesshe..Je descharne.
1612 Mr. King tr. Benvenuto Passenger ii. i. 159 The fat and young Starling cures those that are fallen away.
a1680 S. Butler Genuine Remains (1759) II. 446 He delights, like a fat overgrown Man, to see himself fall away.
1726 N. B. Farrier's & Horseman's Dict. 297/2 A Horse will fall away suddenly, and lose his Flesh, as also his Appetite.
1770 T. Gray Let. 3 Jan. in Corr. (1971) III. 1097 Mrs. Jonathan..is much fallen away.
1825 W. P. Dewees Treat. Physical & Med. Treatm. Children ii. xxiii. 345 The children fell away rapidly, and weakened very fast.
1884 London Med. Rec. Nov. 54/2 The patient falls away, loses his appetite, frequently suffers from diarrhœa and vomiting, and becomes much emaciated.
1918 G. C. Humphrey Rural Efficiency Guide IV. 237 Pig eats a plenty but does not gain as he should. He may even fall away.
1954 in Dict. Amer. Regional Eng. (1991) II. 341/2 E jist plumb fell 'way to nothin'. Don' gain no weight 'tall.
1996 R. Allsopp Dict. Caribbean Eng. Usage 223/2 Look how this boy has fallen away in his skin!
c. Of a sportsperson or team: to suffer a decline in performance.
ΚΠ
1888 Manch. Guardian 9 Jan. 8/4 After this [equalising goal] the home team fell away very much, and Jones and Richardson both scored for the visitors.
1908 J. M. Pretsell Game of Bowls v. 98 After possessing a substantial lead half-way through the game, the Scottish players fell away considerably.
1961 Chron.-Telegram (Elyria, Ohio) 1 Mar. 20/5 Amherst..tied the Steelers at six different junctures in the first half before falling away in the second half to a 65-44 defeat.
2015 Advertiser (Adelaide) (Nexis) 23 Aug. (Sport section) 50 The Double Blues fell away in the second half in what became a men-versus-boys affair.
6. intransitive. To slope downwards.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > slope > [verb (intransitive)] > slope downwards
fall1573
to fall away1607
sink1630
lower1734
delve1848
to ease off1880
1607 R. Davies Relation Voy. New-Eng. in Early New Eng. Voy. (1983) xi. 423 After we paste this Cape or head Land the Land falleth awaye.
1697 W. Dampier New Voy. around World v. 112 The top of it..gradually falls away on each side with a gentle descent.
1767 J. Smeaton Rep. Practicability of joining Rivers Forth & Clyde 7 From the middle or summit, the ground falls away pretty quick both ways, and the valley widens.
1836 J. F. Cooper Sketches Switzerland II. xxx. 232 This plain..gradually falls away towards the Adriatic, into which it pours all its waters.
1972 E. C. Tubb Scatter of Stardust 10 The ground fell away into a deep valley.
2004 High Mountain Mar. 37/3 We..reached the height of the pass..but the slope still fell away to the north.
 to fall back
1. intransitive.
a. To return to a former practice, opinion, state of affairs, etc. Usually with to or into.Sometimes as part of an extended metaphor with reference to sense 3.
ΚΠ
1534 G. Joye tr. Jeremy Prophete v. sig. Ciiv They are fallen backe and gone their wayes so farre that they thinke not once in their hertes. Let vs yet feare the lorde our God [etc.].
1549 M. Coverdale et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. II. Gal. iv. f. xv Suche of you, as are contented to fall backe to Iewishnes.
1643 J. Wallis Truth Tried Ep. sig. Av The Treatise..was a second time Advancing, ambitious again to be made happy by the same Hand;..but being there prevented, it is fain to Retreat, and fall back to the same hand where it first lodged.
1661 Princess Cloria i. 53 He apprehending..the Maids desire,..fell back from his determination.
1715 J. Addison Spectator No. 556. ¶3 Nothing but an invincible Resolution..could have prevented me from falling back to my Monosyllables.
1751 W. Blennerhassett New Hist. Eng. I. 144 Some Time after, all the East-Saxon Christians fell back to Paganism.
1845 Edinb. Rev. July 130 The Church would soon have fallen back..into its ancient corruptions.
1879 M. J. Guest Lect. Hist. Eng. xlvi. 464 They fell back a little, too, to favouring the celibacy of the clergy.
1905 Internat. Q. 11 171 Instead of falling back to the safe and impregnable position of one arguing from an a priori premise,..[they] have unsuspectingly stepped out upon debatable ground.
2008 Computer Weekly 26 Feb. 28/4 This led to such confusion..that many companies simply fall back to using WEP.
b. to fall back on (also upon): to resort to (something) in an emergency or when other options have failed, become unavailable, or become too difficult or inconvenient.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > advantage > usefulness > use (made of things) > recourse > have recourse to [verb (transitive)] > specifically a course of action
runOE
goOE
drawc1275
to found to1352
resorta1425
tirvec1425
to fall on ——1634
to fall into ——1668
to fall back on1777
the world > action or operation > advantage > usefulness > use (made of things) > recourse > have recourse to [verb (transitive)] > when other things fail
to throw back1656
to fall upon ——1767
to fall back on (also upon)1777
1777 J. Fordyce Addr. Young Men II. xii. 104 To such [people]..the fields, the gardens, the woods, and the rivers..are all uninteresting and dull... Such must quickly fall back upon their own minds.
1846 R. C. Trench Notes Miracles xxxiii. 449 A manual trade that they might fall back on in the time of need.
1888 A. Jessopp Coming of Friars v. 254 Young men presumably with some private means to fall back upon.
1949 R. Park Poor Man's Orange 33 ‘Let's have sausages...’ They were always there to be fallen back on.
1977 Rolling Stone 24 Mar. 23/3 He fell back on his musical training to support the family.
2004 Times Lit. Suppl. 4 June 17/4 English writers, when dealing with Canada, always fall back on the same old tired clichés.
2. intransitive. To step or move back; (also) to lag or fall behind. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > backward movement > move backwards [verb (intransitive)] > step back
to step back1538
to fall back?1567
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > backward movement > move backwards [verb (intransitive)] > retire, withdraw, or retreat
withdraw1297
recoilc1330
give place1382
arrear1399
to draw backa1400
resortc1425
adrawc1450
recedec1450
retraya1470
returna1470
rebut1481
wyke1481
umbedrawc1485
retreata1500
retract1535
retire1542
to give back1548
regress1552
to fall back?1567
peak1576
flinch1578
to fall offa1586
to draw off1602
to give ground1607
retrograde1613
to train off1796
to beat a retreat1861
to back off1938
?1567 M. Parker Whole Psalter xl. 117 Let them fall backe: that wishe me so euill. That I may be still.
1607 T. Middleton Revengers Trag. ii. sig. D4v Brother fall back, And you shall learne, some mischeife.
1676 G. Etherege Man of Mode iii. i. 36 Fall back on The sudden..and break out Into a loud Laughter.
1728 R. Ashton Battle of Aughrim iv. i. 35 (stage direct.) He is met by a Ghost, who approaches him three several Times, each Time he falls back, then speaks.
1784 Whitehall Evening-post 7–9 Sept. They have miserably fallen back in the rank of nations.
1823 W. Scott Quentin Durward III. i. 15 Come, Sir Squire, spur on, and keep the van, while I fall back to discourse with the Lady Isabelle.
1894 B. Mitford Gun-Runner 182 The excited savages fell back, yielding place to a couple of tall amakehla.
1917 Times 4 July 5/2 The officer thrice summoned the crowd to fall back, but without avail.
1991 Times Educ. Suppl. 18 Jan. 43/2 There is..quite a considerable slump where they begin to diverge, the ‘below-average’ children falling back seriously.
2006 M. Doeden L. Armstrong iii. 27 As the race wore on, more and more cyclists fell back, unable to keep up with the blistering pace.
3. intransitive. Of an army, troops, etc.: to retreat, withdraw. Frequently with to, on, or upon, specifying the place of retreat.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military operations > manoeuvre > [verb (intransitive)] > retreat
withdraw1297
recoilc1330
faila1400
rere?a1400
give way1413
ruse?a1425
retreata1460
to leave place1487
wandis1487
settle1513
retire1533
retrace1539
dismarch1596
to come off1600
to fall back1602
retraicta1604
give grounda1616
recline1789
exfiltrate1980
society > armed hostility > military operations > manoeuvre > [verb (transitive)] > retreat to
recoverc1500
to fall back1602
1602 I. E. Let. from Souldier in Ireland 3 Seeing two Regiments of our foote, and some horse drawne out of our Campe, and making a resolute march towardes him, hee fell backe to the other side of the hill.
1612 M. Drayton Poly-olbion xii. 204 Falling backe where they Might field-roomth find.
1758 Lloyd's Evening Post 10 Mar. 242/2 All the French troops from Brunswick, Wolfembuttle, and other places, have fallen back upon Hanover, and this city is not able to contain them.
1783 Ann. Reg. 1781 Hist. Europe 16/1 That regiment being ordered to fall back on their approach.
1823 Douglas, or Field of Otterburn III. iii. 36 His enemies..fell back to avoid his..thrusts.
1845 W. B. S. Taylor Hist. Univ. Dublin 523 Ammunition getting scarce, the regiment fell back on Ballyshannon, of course with great loss of officers and men.
1918 Times 6 Aug. 4/2 The Soviet troops have fallen back upon Archangel.
1950 Austin (Texas) Amer.-Statesman 12 Nov. 9/4 We were still firing when they overran our position... Some guy..started yelling ‘fall back, fall back!’
2014 Guardian (Nexis) 17 Oct. 23 Iraqi government troops have fallen back to an air base in the desert outside Hit.
4. intransitive. Of a geographical feature, as a coastline or a line of hills or trees: to lie further back; to recede.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > land mass > shore or bank > seashore or coast > [verb (intransitive)] > recede (of coastline)
to fall off1719
to fall back1772
1772 A. Dalrymple Jrnl. Schooner Cuddalore 5 in Coll. Charts & Mem. The Coast beyond this Point, falling back, forms a large Bay.
1831 G. P. R. James Philip Augustus xxxiii The hills which confine the course of the Seine fall back..and leave it to wander through a wide rich valley.
1851 A. G. Findlay Directory Navigation Pacific Ocean I. xv. 472 The land falls back, forming a small bay.
1953 Irish Times 2 Oct. 6/1 At the top of the slope the trees fell back from the road.
2002 M. Estensen Life M. Flinders iv. 47 The shoreline falling back in coves and promontories and small white beaches.
5. intransitive. To fail to make regular payments on time; to fall into arrears. Usually with in, on, or (now esp.) with. Cf. to fall behind 2 at Phrasal verbs 1.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > management of money > insolvency > indebtedness > be in debt [verb (intransitive)] > get into arrears
to fall behind1733
to fall back1774
1774 J. Bertram Observ. Var. Subj. 54 If times are adverse, and he falls back in his rent, he is scolded more than tongue can tell.
1786 E. Burke Articles of Charge against W. Hastings i. 9 The..nabob..falling back in other payments in the same..proportion.
1849 Belfast News-Let. 9 Mar. She fell back in payment, and was decreed in two years' rent.
1884 Bangor (Maine) Daily Whig & Courier 12 Apr. They have fallen back with the rent, and..the poor widow has to turn and face a prospect of absolute destitution.
1924 G. A. England Vikings of Ice xxiv. 257 Once the men ‘fall back’ they are sometimes never again able to..pay their bills.
1971 N.Y. Times 29 Mar. 66/5 They've fallen back on their bills.
2012 Hull Daily Mail (Nexis) 19 Oct. (Business section) 16 The share of its clients who have fallen back with their rent is also increasing.
 to fall behind
1. intransitive. To move more slowly or make less progress than others; to fail to keep up; to lag behind (literal and figurative).
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > rate of motion > move at specific rate [verb (intransitive)] > lag or fall behind
latch1530
drawlatch1599
to fall behind1652
to hang behind1677
tail1750
lack1775
drop1823
1652 Norton's Ordinal of Alchemy Proheme in E. Ashmole Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum 9 That Practise falleth farr behinde Wher Knowledge of the cause is not in minde.
1683 J. Turner Pallas Armata ii. xxiv. 146 Scipio the Numantine, caused every Soldier to be whipt severely that went ever so little out of his rank, or fell behind.
?1721 Poem on Race of Leith (single sheet) Like a Jad he fell behind, And never could the right Foot find.
a1766 F. Sheridan Concl. Mem. Miss Sidney Bidulph (1767) V. lxi. 175 Just in that juncture (for I had fallen behind a little on purpose) did I ride up to the door in full gallop.
1816 W. Scott Antiquary II. vi. 140 Lovel, exhausted by..the exertion.., began to flag and fall behind.
1880 University (Univ. Mich.) 6 Dec. 1/2 More than one falls behind in work because of the allurements of the billiard hall and bar in connection.
1936 Times 4 Aug. 3/7 The game became all square at 14, but Barter fell behind again and needed five for game to Penn's one.
1992 Chicago Tribune 22 Nov. xii. 9/1 He soon stumblingly fell behind. He caught up at lunch, while we ate beside a stream.
2006 Philadelphia June 190/2 When Christi was in preschool, her parents noticed she was falling behind, and took her for an evaluation.
2. intransitive. To fail to do something according to schedule; esp. to fail to make regular payments on time; to fall into arrears. Usually with in, on, or with.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > management of money > insolvency > indebtedness > be in debt [verb (intransitive)] > get into arrears
to fall behind1733
to fall back1774
1733 P. Lindsay Interest Scotl. ii. 40 When there is no Demand for Grain, they likewise fall behind in their private Affairs.
1765 Memorial Earl of Morton against G. Somervell 1 He paid 65l. of Rent, and having fallen behind in Payment of the Rent, the Memorialist commenced an Action against him.
1818 Farmer's Mag. Aug. 333 If he happen..to fall behind with his rent, his landlord..may turn him out.
1832 Edinb. Rev. Apr. 208 It is with reviewing occasionally as with letter-writing. We fall behind at first, become ashamed of ourselves, and, after shuffling off the task of reply from day to day, get afraid to think of our friend.
1885 Manch. Examiner 21 July 5/2 If the tenant falls behind with his instalments.
1926 Scotsman 24 Apr. 11/5 A lot of members..had fallen behind with their contributions.
2012 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 22 May b6/1 She fell behind on her insurance premiums.
 to fall behindhand
Now rare.
intransitive. To fall behind; esp. to fall into arrears.
ΚΠ
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 543/2 He is fallen behynde the hande, within this thre yere.
?1577 J. Northbrooke Spiritus est Vicarius Christi: Treat. Dicing 96 Yt they are not able, or that they are fallen behind hand, or yt they are not somuch worth now by a great sum as they haue bene.
1641 W. Prynne Antipathie 269 A solemne complaint was framed against this Bishop for..falsely imbezelling the Kings Treasure; for that otherwise it was impossible the King should be fallen so farre behind hand.
a1677 T. Manton Sermons (1684) II. i. i. xxiii. 187 If a Man fall behind hand in the World, his Friends look askew upon him.
1788 H. Macneill Observ. Treatm. Negroes Jamaica 4 A proprietor of a large sugar work having fallen behind hand, the Negroes on his estate collected among themselves 300l.
1834 H. J. Nott Novellettes of Traveller II. 163 A small farmer..had, from a series of misfortunes, fallen behindhand.
1855 G. D. Bayard Let. 27 Nov. in S. J. Bayard Life G. D. Bayard (1874) vi. 80 I am gradually falling behindhand in my studies, especially logic.
1931 Times 28 Dec. 16/2 Interest payments, which at one time fell behindhand, have since October, 1929, been paid at due dates.
2013 S. Spencer tr. M. Geck R. Schumann vii. 143 Schumann had fallen behindhand with his plans to complete Paradise and the Peri.
 to fall by
†1. intransitive. To fail to catch or grasp something. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > acquisition > not obtaining or acquiring > not to obtain [verb (transitive)]
mistec1275
missa1325
tinea1325
fail1377
losea1387
to come short of1570
to fall by1614
1614 T. White Martyrdome St. George sig. B2v His arme now thrusting forth..To latch the stripes for feare of falling by.
†2. intransitive. Scottish. To go missing, be mislaid. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > loss > be lost [verb (intransitive)] > be missing or mislaid
to be out of the way1580
to fall by1640
to go missing1845
to go (on) walkabout(s)1944
to go walkies1971
1640 S. Rutherford Let. in Joshua Redivivus (1671) ii. xxix. 491 Christ's papers of that kinde cannot be lost or fall by.
1672 M. Crawford in Welch's Popery Anatomized (ed. 2) Pref. sig. *7 I delivered it [sc. the petition] to his Majesty, but he was in a passion, and it seems it hath fallen by, for I have not gotten an answer.
1738 in H. Paton Minnigaff Parish Rec. (1939) 618 To William M'Kie..under his necessity by two precepts, the precepts falen by but consistent with memory.
1832 A. Henderson Sc. Prov. 70 A' is no tint that fa's bye.
3. intransitive. Scottish. To become ill; to stay in bed or at home through illness; (also) to be confined to bed for the birth of a child. Now rare. Sc. National Dict. (at Fa) records this sense as still in use in north-eastern Scotland in 1950.
ΚΠ
1825 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Suppl. To fall by, to be sick, or affected with any ailment... In a more definite sense, to be confined in childbed.
1845 G. Murray Islaford 121 And when a servant-lass fa's by, Her comrades pass her with a sigh.
1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb xlix. Some jots o' wark at the Manse offices, that's been lyin' owre sin' he fell bye.
 to fall down
1. intransitive.
a. Of a building, structure, etc.: to topple to the ground; to collapse, fall to pieces. In later use frequently in the progressive (to be falling down): to be in a state of ruin or disrepair.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > falling > fall [verb (intransitive)] > fall down or from erect position > fall in pieces or ruins
to-fallc893
fallOE
to fall downc1175
tumblea1400
sinka1450
ruin1531
to fall in1611
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 4798 & tær fell dun þatt hus.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Matt. vii. 27 That hous..felle doun, and the fallyng doun therof was grete.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 11767 (MED) Þair idels all Sal fall dun als þai war noght.
a1500 (c1465) in J. Gairdner Three 15th-cent. Chrons. (1880) 62 (MED) This yere fell downe the Towre of London Brygge.
a1522 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid (1957) ii. viii. 6 The ancyant, worthy cite down is fall.
1562 in B. Cusack Everyday Eng. 1500–1700 (1998) 66 Item for the haybarne stabyll And Covhouse ys In suche decay that thay wyll fall dovne.
1655 T. Fuller Church-hist. Brit. ix. 165 The old under-propped Scaffolds overladen with people, suddenly fell down.
1660 H. Fletcher Perfect Politician 181 The wall no longer being able to indure the force of these fiery Engines [sc. Guns], fell down in many places.
1771 L. Washington Let. 12 May in G. Washington Papers (1993) VIII. 468 Our Mill is once more in a bad way, the Wall between the water Pit & Cog pit, is falling down.
1781 Encycl. Brit. VII. 4892 The room where the company was assembled fell down, killed all the persons in it.
1851 Househ. Narr. May 112/1 On the morning of Saturday, the 17th, a Building Fell Down in Gracechurch Street.
1875 National Republican (Washington, D.C.) 20 July 4/6 One..will find groups of happy children..and hear from a hundred glad and innocent voices that ‘London bridge is falling down’.
1969 K. Clark Civilisation i. 4 They preferred to live in pre-fabs and let the old places fall down.
2016 Kirkus Rev. (Nexis) 15 Nov. A free-spirited artist whose house is falling down.
b. figurative. To come to nothing, to disintegrate; (of an institution, society, etc.) to be brought low or destroyed; (of an argument, theory, etc.) to be shown to be wrong or invalid; to collapse under scrutiny or analysis.In later use sometimes influenced by sense 2c.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > failure or lack of success > fail or be unsuccessful [verb (intransitive)] > fail or collapse (of institution, etc.)
to fall downc1175
to crumple up1577
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 16838 Godess laȝhe. & godess rihht..Þeȝȝ didenn mikell fallenn dun.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 2734 Get sal ðin pride fallen dun.
a1475 J. Fortescue Governance of Eng. (Laud) (1885) 149 The estate off þe Romans..beganne to fall doune.
c1475 (c1445) R. Pecock Donet (1921) 165 (MED) Charite falleþ neuer doun.
1550 W. Lynne tr. J. Carion Thre Bks. Cronicles iiii. f. cxciij Likewise doth the world seme to be ready to fal at this time, & doth by litle and litle bryng a more greuous fal with it, one and other kyngdomes falling down and decayeng.
c1592 R. Bruce in R. Wodrow Life (1843) 31 The commonwealth here..is ruinous on all sides, and is mislike to fall down.
1651 N. Biggs Matæotechnia Medicinæ Praxeωs (new ed.) 180 Which being so, the Thesis falls down, which supposes bad humours are brought forth by a Cautery.
1672 T. Garencières tr. Nostradamus True Prophecies or Prognostications iii. xcvii. 148 The great Barbarian Empire shall fall down, Before Phœbe maketh an end of her course.
1769 W. Tooke Loves of Othniel & Achsah II. viii. 263 A multitude have been destroyed by anger—and a kingdom hath fallen down by wrath.
1779 London Chron. 12 Oct. 359/1 A chimera, a phantasy..invented..as a basis (though a sandy one) whereon to build a score of arguments, that must fall down.
1805 C. Buck Treat. Relig. Experience xi. 288 Let us not talk of our knowledge, our experience, our talents, our respectability, our membership of churches, while the world is falling down about us.
1867 Proc. & Deb. Gen. Assembly Free Church Sc. 27 Seeing that all his arguments fell down, and feeling that, before the whole congregation, he was losing his reputation as a man of science, [etc.].
1934 Jrnl. Eng. & Germanic Philol. 33 567 Thus the last and strongest pillar of Wieselgren's argument falls down.
1985 M. Marien Future Surv. Ann. 1984 77/1 American society is falling down and breaking apart.
2016 Sunday Times (Nexis) 3 Jan. (Features section) 11 We can..demonstrate where an argument falls down, show who is in their depth and who is out of it.
2. intransitive.
a. To sink to the ground or to one's knees; to become prostrate; to fall over. Also with adjectival complement, esp. in to fall down dead.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > falling > fall [verb (intransitive)] > fall down or from erect position
fallOE
to fall downc1175
torple?c1225
glidec1275
overthrowc1330
downfallc1350
swaya1400
reversea1470
twine1600
to go down1697
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 7348 Þa kingess fellenn dun..To lutenn crist.
c1225 (?c1200) St. Margaret (Royal) (1934) 49 Te meiden duuelunge feol dun to þe eorðe.
c1300 St. Matthew (Laud) l. 115 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 80 Þis Maide feol doun to is fet and on him ȝeorne gradde.
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. vii. lxvi. 429 A knyȝt þat touchide suche a worme wiþ his spere..fel doun dede anon.
c1425 Prose Versions New Test.: Deeds (Cambr.) (1904) xxviii. 6 (MED) Þei supposed þat he schulde bolne, ande sodenly falle downe ande dighe.
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 30 The horse felle downe to the erthe.
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid vii. ix. 130 About hym fell down deid, and lost the sueit Mony of the hyrd men.
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) ii. xxvii. sig. Ff5 The cowardly wretch fell down, crying for succour.
1654 Mercurius Fumigosus No. 5. 38 There was..a maid of 16 years of Age, that swooned and fell down at the sight of a Naked Boy.
1671 J. Milton Paradise Regain'd iv. 167 If thou wilt fall down, And worship me as thy superior Lord. View more context for this quotation
1718 R. Blackmore Coll. Poems Var. Subj. i. 120 He..strove in vain to keep His Eyelids ope, then fell down fast asleep.
1760 G. A. Stevens Hist. Tom Fool I. 54 Mr. Yeast over-reaching himself, fell down, Face fore-most.
1844 J. Backhouse Narr. of Visit 513 One of our after oxen fell down from exhaustion.
1871 B. Jowett in tr. Plato Dialogues I. 175 He is quite ready to fall down and worship them.
1977 M. Herr Dispatches 134 You could fall down dead so that the medics would have to spend half an hour looking for the hole that killed you.
1985 R. Davies What's bred in Bone (1986) iii. 194 He fell down drunk one winter night in the lane behind Devinney's.
2010 J. McGregor Even Dogs (2011) iii. 107 Heather pulling herself to her feet, falling down, getting up again.
b. To become ill. Now usually with with (formerly also †into, †in), specifying the illness or disease. Also with adjectival complement, as to fall down sick (cf. to fall sick, etc., at sense 45a(b)). Cf. to come down 12 at come v. Phrasal verbs 1. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > be in ill health [verb (intransitive)] > fall ill
sicklec1000
sicka1150
sickenc1175
evil1303
mislike?1440
fall1526
to take a conceit1543
to fall down?1571
to lay upa1616
to run of (or on) a garget1615
craze1658
invalid1829
wreck1876
collapse1879
to go sick1879
to sicken for1883
?1571 tr. G. Buchanan Detectioun Marie Quene of Scottes sig. C.j She..miserably tormented hir selfe as if she wald haif by and by fallen down againe into hir former sicknes.
a1614 P. Nichols Sir F. Drake Reuiued (1626) 50 Halfe a score of our Company fell downe sicke together, and the most of them dyed within two or three dayes.
1697 W. Dampier New Voy. around World viii. 224 Our Men, who had been very healthy till now, began to fall down apace in Fevers.
1714 E. Freke Remembrances (2001) 73 I fell down right sick and soe stufft up with a tissick thatt I could hardly fetch my breath.
1757 B. Franklin Let. 22 Nov. in Wks. (1887) II. 522 I..got fresh cold and fell down again.
1803 Bury & Norwich Post 30 Mar. Whole families fall down together, or within two or three days.
1900 Sheffield & Rotherham Independent 26 May 6/4 When a community of human beings falls down with typhoid fever, the cause is at once searched for in the faulty sanitation of the place.
2006 Globe & Mail (Toronto) (Nexis) 9 Sept. m4 Marisa..had fallen down with the flu.
c. colloquial (originally U.S.). To fail, be unsuccessful; to make a mistake. Frequently with on, esp. in to fall down on the job: to fail to carry out a task adequately.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > failure or lack of success > fail or be unsuccessful [verb (intransitive)]
withsitc1330
fail1340
defaulta1382
errc1430
to fall (also go) by the wayside1526
misthrive1567
miss1599
to come bad, or no, speedc1600
shrink1608
abortivea1670
maroon1717
to flash in the pan1792
skunk1831
to go to the dickens1833
to miss fire1838
to fall flat1841
fizzle1847
to lose out1858
to fall down1873
to crap out1891
flivver1912
flop1919
skid1920
to lay an egg1929
to blow out1939
to strike out1946
bomb1963
to come (also have) a buster1968
the world > action or operation > failure or lack of success > fail in [verb (transitive)]
slip1855
to fall down1873
to fink out on1966
tube1966
1873 J. H. Beadle Undeveloped West xxxii. 704 We'll reach Sioux City by 5 o'clock if we don't fall down... But we did ‘fall down’ just at noon, running hard aground.
1890 Ohio Democrat (New Philadelphia, Ohio) 22 May Pitt has long been promising to give our Paragraph a turning over but it seems he fell down on the job.
1899 J. L. Williams Stolen Story 223 It amazed him every time a new reporter..fell down on a story.
1953 R. Lehmann Echoing Grove 300 I felt I couldn't cope: I saw myself falling down on the responsibilities.
1961 A. Christie Pale Horse x. 112 Oh dear, I seem to have fallen down badly. I was so very sure.
1998 Daily Tel. 6 Aug. 10/2 A lot of these devices fall down at the clinical trial level.
2010 Mirror (Nexis) 26 Feb. 35 Health service bosses who fall down on the job should not be rewarded for their incompetence.
†3. intransitive. To make a hostile incursion or attack (upon, into). Cf. descend v. 9, to come down 2b at come v. Phrasal verbs 1. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > attack > attack [verb (intransitive)]
to lay ona1225
assailc1325
sailc1330
assemblea1375
to fall inc1384
to fall ona1387
givec1430
brunt1440
to set (all) on sevenc1440
to ding on1487
to fall down1534
offend1540
to go on1553
to give on?1611
to let fly1611
strikea1616
insult1638
to set on1670
aggress1708
to carry the war into the enemy's camp1791
hop over1929
1534 G. Joye tr. U. Zwingli Dauids Psalter sig. E.iiii Ther come forth agenst me the maligne myscheuouse, and euen my enemyes to deuower me hole, lo thei fal downe al to smiten.
1589 A. Wingfield True Coppie Disc. 30 The Enemie..the next morning fell downe vpon that Regiment, crying, Viua el Rey Don Antonio.
1647 tr. G. Wishart Hist. Kings Affairs Scotl. under Montrose xx. 170 Montrose might have fallen down into the Low-lands with a farre greater Army then ever the Scots produc'd in the memory of man.
1661 W. Howell Inst. Gen. Hist. ii. iii. 412 Ten thousand of the Carthaginians passing the River, he fell down upon them from the hills, and made great slaughter.
1686 J. Warr tr. Quintilian Declamations iii. 68 An incredible multitude of People is fallen down upon Italy.
1745 Remarks Reign William III in Select. Harleian Misc. III. 343/1 If the Troops of his most Christian Majesty had fell down into the Spanish Netherlands.
4. intransitive. To sail or drift down a river, estuary, etc., towards the open water. Occasionally more generally: to sail towards a place. Usually with to or towards. Now rare.It is unclear whether quot. 1982 shows down as an adverb or a preposition (cf. to fall down —— at Phrasal verbs 2).
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > direct or manage ship [verb (intransitive)] > head in a certain course or direction > come into or towards open sea
to fall down1589
disemboguec1595
drop1790
society > travel > travel by water > [verb (transitive)] > sail to
to fall down1685
1589 Summarie Drakes W. Indian Voy. 40 Our whole Fleete of ships fell downe towards the harbour mouth.
1598 W. Phillip tr. J. H. van Linschoten Disc. Voy. E. & W. Indies i. iii. 6/2 They fal down by meanes of the streame.
1653 Perfect Acct. Intelligence Armies & Navy No. 117. 936 Many of the Parliament Frigats are fallen down into these parts in relation to their going forth to sea.
1685 N. Crouch Eng. Empire in Amer. xix. 194 Before he fell down to the Havana, he should touch at St. Christophers.
a1754 H. Fielding Jrnl. Voy. Lisbon (1755) 64 He ordered his ship to fall down to Gravesend.
1769 J. Knox Hist. Jrnl. Campaigns in N.-Amer. II. 296 The enemy's fleet have fallen down to the Foulon by Sillery, and their boats are continually employed in landing their stores.
1819 Lancaster Gaz. 28 Aug. The whole party fell down with the tide to Sunderland Point.
1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. To fall down, to sail, drift, or be towed to some lower part nearer a river's mouth or opening.
1890 Sat. Rev. 13 Dec. 687/2 They..fell down to Ameralikfjord.
1982 P. Clissold Layton's Dict. Naut. Words (rev. ed.) 132 To fall down, to move down a river or estuary by drifting with stream or current.
†5. intransitive. To travel to a lower place or position. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > move downwards [verb (intransitive)]
styc825
astyc975
alightOE
to fall adownOE
hieldc1275
downcomea1300
sink?a1300
avalec1374
to go downa1375
to come downc1380
dipc1390
descenda1393
clinea1400
declinea1400
downc1400
inclinec1400
vailc1400
fallc1440
devall1477
condescendc1485
to get down1567
lower1575
dismount1579
to fall down1632
down?1701
demount1837
1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. vi. 294 Aduancing in our course, we fell downe from the hils in a long bottome.
1658 Further Discov. Myst. Jesuitisme i. vii. 37 Let us but fall down into the town of Fontenay le-Compte, and look into the Church of these good Fathers there.
1791 J. Townsend Journey Spain I. 381 Ascending towards the mountains, yet meeting nothing remarkable.., till eleven in the evening, when, after riding smartly seven hours, we fell down upon our destined village.
6. intransitive. Of trousers, socks, etc.: to slip down the legs, esp. accidentally.
ΚΠ
a1690 G. Fox Jrnl. (1694) 305 Untie the knees of his Britches, and let his Stockings fall down.
1713 A. Pope Narr. Robert Norris 10 The Rolls of his Stockings fell down to his Ankles.
1802 Amer. Rev. Apr. 237 One of his garters..fell down with the stockings.
1874 T. Frost Old Showmen x. 270 Upon taking off the last, his trousers fell down.
1934 Washington Post 10 June s6//2 Men who let their socks fall down over their shoe tops.
1975 Weekend Mag. (Montreal) 26 July 6/1 My sister was a Girl Cadet and they told her if her pants fell down to march on.
2006 New Musical Express 25 Mar. 17/1 Kids..wearing studded belts so heavy their trousers keep falling down.
 to fall forth
1. intransitive. To fall forward or out; to come out of something. Now archaic.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separation or detachment > become detached [verb (intransitive)] > fall off or out
to fall offeOE
fallOE
to fall awayc1300
to fall forth1560
absciss1918
1560 tr. Albertus Magnus' Bk. Secretes sig. C Laye thys stone vnder the head of a wyfe, & yf she be chast, she wil embrace her husbande, if she be not chaste, she wil fall anone forth of the bedde.
1584 J. Philips Sommon to Repentance (new ed.) sig. C.ii The wormes fell foorth of hys fleshe, hee beeing alyue.
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World II. 138 The..teeth..will shed and fall forth of the head.
1671 J. Sharp Midwives Bk. v. v. 254 They are inflamed many times and ulcerated and cannot go to stool but their fundament will fall forth.
1729 C. Cibber Rival Queans i. 7 From every Pore of him a fume falls forth.
a1800 W. Cowper tr. Homer Iliad xx, in tr. Homer Iliad & Odyssey (1802) II. 300 His liver falling forth, with sable blood His bosom fill'd, and darkness veil'd his eyes.
1854 Preston Chron. & Lancs. Advertiser 3 June 5/1 The lips of his fellow-workmen quivered, and large crystal tears dropped from their blackened faces, as the words fell forth.
1905 G. C. Graham tr. St. John of the Cross Dark Night of Soul ii. 168 Forcing the damp outwards, and making the inward moisture to fall forth in drops.
2013 D. F. Wilson Call of Agon xix. 349 From its mouth broken rocks, stones and dust fell forth.
†2. intransitive. To happen, occur; = to fall out 5a at Phrasal verbs 1. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > occurrence > [verb (intransitive)]
becomec888
i-tidec888
falleOE
ywortheOE
i-limp975
belimpOE
i-timeOE
worthOE
tidea1131
goa1200
arearc1275
syec1275
betide1297
fere1297
risea1350
to come aboutc1350
overcomea1382
passa1393
comea1400
to come in (also to, on, etc.) placea1400
eschew?a1400
chevec1400
shapec1400
hold1462
to come (also go) to pass1481
proceed?1518
occura1522
bechance1527
overpass1530
sorta1535
succeed1537
adventurec1540
to fall toc1540
success1545
to fall forth1569
fadge1573
beword?1577
to fall in1578
happen1580
event1590
arrive1600
offer1601
grow1614
fudge1615
incur1626
evene1654
obvene1654
to take place1770
transpire1775
to go on1873
to show up1879
materialize1885
break1914
cook1932
to go down1946
1569 N. Haward tr. Seneca Line of Liberalitie ii. xxix. f. 80v Whych thinges so falling foorth,..then canst thou not chose..but thinke & saye that..God hath aboue al other thinges delt most beneficiallie with thee.
1604 T. Wright Passions of Minde (new ed.) ii. i 52 Here it falleth foorth..hee which is most studious, is best learned.
1669 G. Hutcheson Expos. Bk. of Job (xxxvii. 6) 3/1 Those storms..which usually fall forth in Winter.
1707 Orders Lord Provost, Baillies & Council of Edinb. (single sheet) Upon Appearance of any Fray..or any other sudden Accident that may fall forth, the Constable shall take unto him the Assistance of the Soldiers of the Town Guard.
1859 Chambers's Jrnl. 9 Apr. 232/1 The pest falling forth in 1606, in the valley of the Dee.
1905 Success Mag. Mar. 169/2 If dispute fall forth, whether over a dollar or an insult, America..will attempt a settlement.
†3. intransitive. To have an argument or disagreement (with); = to fall out 2 at Phrasal verbs 1. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > dissent > fighting > fight [verb (intransitive)] > begin to fight
to step togetherc1275
lash13..
felterc1400
to fall forth1572
tackle1867
1572 T. Drant Fruitfull Serm. conc. Almes Geuing sig. A.viii Irus and Vlisses do fall foorth for lacke of equalitie.
1592 J. Holme Burthen of Ministerie Ep. Ded. sig. A2 A company of souldiors, who hauing gotten a pray, and falling foorth amongst themselues for the diuision of it.
1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 465 The males oftentimes fall forth, for sometimes eight..males follow one lionesse.
a1617 P. Baynes Two Godly & Fruitfull Treat. (1619) 16 Should our parents know that we are fallen forth with our brethren, durst we come in their sight?
 to fall in
†1. intransitive.
a. To rush in, esp. with hostile intent; to make an incursion or attack. Also figurative and in extended use.
(a) Without preposition. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > attack > attack [verb (intransitive)]
to lay ona1225
assailc1325
sailc1330
assemblea1375
to fall inc1384
to fall ona1387
givec1430
brunt1440
to set (all) on sevenc1440
to ding on1487
to fall down1534
offend1540
to go on1553
to give on?1611
to let fly1611
strikea1616
insult1638
to set on1670
aggress1708
to carry the war into the enemy's camp1791
hop over1929
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going or coming in > go or come in [verb (intransitive)]
to go ineOE
ingoc900
to come inOE
incomec1000
infarec1000
enterc1325
enderc1330
ingressc1330
entera1382
to fall inc1384
usha1400
to get ina1425
to step in1534
to set (or put) (a) footing1567
invade1590
to take in1595
to hop in (also out)1914
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Dan. xiii. 26 Forsothe seruauntes of the hous fellen yn by the posterne.
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) iii. l. 1392 (MED) On a frusche þei fel in euerychon.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) 1 Sam. xxvii. 10 Achis spake: Whither fell ye in to daye?
1776 J. Cook Jrnl. 25 Dec. (1967) III. i. 32 These are covered by islands in the offing, so that no Sea can fall in to hurt a Ship.
(b) With upon, on. Cf. to fall on —— 1 at Phrasal verbs 2. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Job i. C The Caldees made thre armies, and fell in vpon the camels, which they haue caried awaye.
1596 Z. Jones tr. M. Barleti Hist. G. Castriot vi. 225 He willed him that if he saw the Infidels to flie that way.., he should suddenly fall in vpon them, and charge them most fiercely.
1652 Perfect Diurnall No. 128. 1880 There are new Garisons planted to prevent..their incursions into your quarters, and to fall in upon the enemy as opportunity shall be offered.
1702 C. Mather Magnalia Christi vii. 54/2 Captain Church, with his Company, fell in upon them.
1793 E. Parsons Woman as she should Be III. 99 My master was arrested and confined; his creditors all fell in upon him.
(c) With among, amongst, with. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1652 C. Cotterell tr. G. de Costes de La Calprenède Cassandra ii. iii. 262 This desire [to kill the Chief] made me fall in eagerly among the run-aways, and not considering that I was followed by but few of my Amazons, I ingaged my self in a Wood.
1697 W. Dampier New Voy. around World ix. 247 They..fell in among a company of Spanish Soldiers..who immediately fired at them.
1715 London Gaz. No. 5374/1 A large Boat..fell in amongst them, and took one Boat.
1736 T. Carte Hist. Life Duke Ormonde I. 576 [He] ordered his men not to fire a piece till they were within a pike's length of the enemy, and then to fall in with them sword and pike in hand.
b. To intervene in a dispute, conversation, etc. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > court proceedings or procedure > pleading > plead [verb (intransitive)] > interpose a plea
to fall ina1641
a1641 R. Montagu Acts & Monuments (1642) 291 Nicolaus..purposed to fall in for Herod in his plea against Syllæus.
1843 D. Shea & A. Troyer tr. Dabistan III. x. 56 The Sonnite here fell in: ‘At the time of the prophet's moving, it was not advisable to undertake the expedition designed.’
2. intransitive. To be reconciled after a dispute; to become friends again. Usually paired with to fall out (see to fall out 2 at Phrasal verbs 1).
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > dissent > absence of dissension or peace > bringing about concord or peace > become at peace with each other [verb (intransitive)]
saughtel1154
saughtenc1275
peasec1300
saughta1400
reconcilec1425
agree1447
to make peace1535
to fall in1546
to piece up1653
to kiss and be friends1657
to kiss and make up1657
to make it up1669
to make it up1722
conciliate1747
1546 J. Heywood Dialogue Prouerbes Eng. Tongue ii. i. sig. Fiv Marke how they fell out, and how they fell in.
1578 T. Lupton All for Money sig. B.iij You may laugh well ynough that Sinne & the Deuil be fallen out, But we will fall in againe or euer it be long.
a1627 T. Middleton Chast Mayd in Cheape-side (1630) iii. 40 Fall out like Giants, and fall in like Children.
1773 O. Goldsmith She stoops to Conquer ii. 41 They fall in and out ten times a day.
1879 Frank Leslie's Illustr. Newspaper 25 Oct. 126/3 Child, don't bother about that Quarrel and make it up again—fall out and fall in again—kiss and be friends twenty times over!
1995 Independent (Nexis) 9 July 23 The two have fallen out and fallen in again over the years like an old married couple.
3. intransitive. With with.
a. To join with, ally oneself with; esp. to take the side of (a particular party) in a conflict.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social relations > party or faction > join or form a party or take sides [verb (intransitive)]
to stand in1555
to fall ina1568
partialize1592
side1609
party1656
to take (also hold) sides1700
(to be) on a person's, the other side of the fence1852
the mind > language > statement > agreement, concurrence, or unanimity > agree with [verb (transitive)] > come into agreement or harmony
greec1380
condescend1516
to fall ina1568
chime in with1712
the world > action or operation > easiness > aid, help, or assistance > support > support or encouragement > support or encourage [verb (transitive)] > take someone's side or side with
favoura1375
to stand with ——1384
takec1400
to take (a) part witha1470
to hold sides1490
to take the part ofc1500
to stick with ——1523
partake1546
follow1548
to join issue1551
to make with ——1559
favourize1585
side1585
party1587
to take in1597
part1669
to fall in1709
to take for ——1770
to take up for1824
range1874
a1568 R. Ascham Rep. & Disc. Affaires Germany (?1570) f. 10v The Pope gaue vp the siege of Mirandula and fell in with Fraunce that care enough might come vppon the Emperour together both out of Germany, and out of Italy at once.
1642 T. Fuller Holy State v. xiii. 409 He falls in with all his neighbours that fall out.
1683 J. Nalson Impartial Coll. of Great Affairs of State anno 1641 II. 632 The Lords Justices and Council were so far from suspecting..that they would perfidiously renounce their Allegiance and fall in with the Rebels, that they [etc.].
1709 J. Swift Let. conc. Sacramental Test 15 The Number of Profest Dissenters..was..something under a Dozen, and..Thirty others, who were expected to fall in with them.
1783 Ann. Reg. 1781 Hist. Europe 144/1 Those under its influence, continually fell in with and strengthened the French party.
1841 R. Simpson Trad. Covenanters xv. 186 A man who,..in order to save his estate, fell in with the ruling party, and submitted to their measures.
1863 C. C. Clarke Shakespeare-characters iv. 101 The worthy Bottom displays no inconsiderable store of imagination in his intercourse with the little people of the fairy world. How pleasantly he falls in with their several natures and qualities.
1985 Chrons. of Culture Nov. 32/1 The American elite turn their backs on the real America and fall in with the first Utopian movement that presents itself.
2013 W. F. Brown Sam Steele & Northwest Rebellion viii. 113 They were told that only those who joined the uprising would receive any money from the sale, so they fell in with the rebels.
b. To concur with (an opinion), esp. one that is popular or established; to agree with (a person).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > statement > agreement, concurrence, or unanimity > agree with [verb (transitive)]
to go ineOE
cordc1380
consentc1386
covin1393
condescend1477
agree1481
correspond1545
concur1590
to fall in1602
suffrage1614
to hit it1634
colour1639
to take with ——1646
to be with1648
to fall into ——1668
to run in1688
to think with1688
meet1694
coincide1705
to go in1713
to say ditto to1775
to see with ——1802
sympathize1828
the world > action or operation > behaviour > a standard of conduct > act in accordance with [verb (transitive)] > conform to or with
confer1534
to fall in1602
comply1650
1602 T. Kingsmill Complaint against Securitie sig. F7 Esdras in the 3. and 4. booke, most plainly falleth in with ye Euangelists touching the wars, famines, and other scourges threatned to the ende of the world.
1644 J. Bond Salvation in Myst. 19 I finde that the Jesuits themselves doe fall-in with my present interpretation.
1707–8 G. Berkeley Philos. Comm. (1989) 104 Hobbs in some degree falls in w.th Locke.
1793 J. Smeaton Narr. Edystone Lighthouse (ed. 2) §127 Those..generally fall in with the popular opinion.
1861 A. Trollope Framley Parsonage I. i. 6 He fell in with the views of his patroness.
1891 A. Quiller-Couch Noughts & Crosses 140 Falling in with my companion's humour, I dismounted.
1968 D. R. SarDesai Indian Foreign Policy in Cambodia iv. 86 The senator did not fall in with the trend of public opinion in Vietnam.
1993 J. E. Garrett tr. R. Bodéüs Polit. Dimensions of Aristotle's Ethics ii. 50 The philosopher falls in with the majority of his predecessors in stating that human beings are not naturally virtuous.
2009 P. Roker At Home with God viii. 52 He was evidently not motivated by the need to fall in with popular opinion.
c. To agree to or comply with (a proposal, plan, etc.); to join in with (a course of action).Occasionally without with-phrase.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > statement > agreement, concurrence, or unanimity > be in agreement [verb (intransitive)] > in an agreement
to fall in1651
the mind > language > speech > agreement > consent > consent to [verb (transitive)] > concede to or comply with
granta1250
i-yettc1275
listenc1290
to listen onc1330
submita1387
consent1393
tenderc1430
servec1450
ottroye1477
admit1529
yield1572
closea1616
concede1632
comply1650
to fall in1651
to come into ——1704
give way1758
accordc1820
society > society and the community > social relations > association, fellowship, or companionship > associate with [verb (transitive)] > participate with > participate in
enterparta1413
to be art and part in (also of)1442
to have art or (and) part ina1500
enjoin1546
share1570
to have (also take, etc.) a share in1572
to have a hand in1583
fellow1596
share1600
to contribute to (also for) or to do1605
to fall in1651
join1716
to opt into1968
1651 W. Greenhill Expos. 14th–19th Chapters Ezekiel xvii. 428 Ahitophel was advanced by David to be his Counsellor, hee fell in with Absalom's conspiracy against David, the Lord was offended at this wretched ingratitude.
1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 123. ¶4 Leontine..was..prevailed upon to fall in with the Project.
1816 T. Chalmers Let. in W. Hanna Mem. T. Chalmers (1851) II. 31 Falling in with such arrangements..as your natural superiors expect you to concur in.
1844 Old Fort Duquesne ix. 47/2 Nearly an hour was consumed by him in the vain effort to prevail upon them to fall in and agree to the proposed arrangement.
1879 F. W. Robinson Coward Conscience III. ix. 53 Sir John did not fall in with this suggestion.
1921 T. S. Eliot Let. 6 Mar. (1988) I. 438 I trust that you will fall in with our plans for you.
1964 E. Bowen Little Girls ii. i. 85 The Southstone children ate meals at school, and the rest had fallen in with this practice.
2013 Herald-Times (Bloomington, Indiana) (Nexis) 21 Dec. One partner will propose a project, and the other will fall in reluctantly, only to be won over in the end.
4. intransitive.
a. With with. To harmonize or go with; to be a complement to; to match.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > agreement, harmony, or congruity > agree, harmonize, or be congruous with [verb (transitive)] > go with or match
to fall in1577
to go with ——1710
match1722
assort1800
neighbour1820
1577 T. Cartwright Rest 2nd Replie 193 The sweeter or finer voice ys not alwayes taken, but that which wil best accord and fal in, with the rest of the Quier.
1602 J. Colleton Iust Def. Slandered Priestes 231 Some of my letters vnto him are set downe before, others follow, as the contents of them do fall in with the matter treated.
1759 W. Robertson Hist. Scotl. I. iii. 239 Nothing could fall in more perfectly with her views concerning Scottish affairs.
1870 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest (ed. 2) I. App. 662 It falls in exactly with his conduct directly after.
1921 Commerc. & Financial Chron. 2 Apr. 1339/2 The most hazardous..and poorest paid service is military, at least in time of war: in peace times, it rather falls in with the too frequent human readiness to loaf and strut and be admired.
2005 N.Y. Times 15 May a10/3 Find ways to create a visibility in the community. But it all has to fall in with what you're trying to accomplish artistically.
†b. Of two or more things: to match, harmonize; to come together. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > agreement, harmony, or congruity > agree/be in harmony/be congruous [verb (intransitive)]
accord1340
cord1340
concordc1374
agree1447
to stand togetherc1449
rhyme?a1475
commonc1475
gree?a1513
correspond1529
consent1540
cotton1567
pan1572
reciprocate1574
concur1576
meet1579
suit1589
sorta1592
condog1592
square1592
fit1594
congrue1600
sympathize1601
symbolize1605
to go even1607
coherea1616
congreea1616
hita1616
piece1622
to fall in1626
harmonize1629
consist1638
comply1645
shadow1648
quare1651
atonea1657
symphonize1661
syncretize1675
chime1690
jibe1813
consone1873
1626 G. Hakewill Comparison Dayes of Purim & Powder Treason 18 If we deuly obserue the admirable concurrence of Causes ordained & falling in together for the composing of it we shall find, that [etc.].
1649 W. Greenhill Expos. Continued upon Ezekiel (xi.) 412 That all may fitly fall in together, and make the more glorious structures for Heaven.
a1672 P. Sterry Rise Kingdom of God (1683) 280 Moderation is that measure of Things, by which they are proportioned, and tuned each to other, so as to fall in, and agree in one.
1681 H. More Plain Expos. Daniel 130 So handsomely do all things fall in and agree together.
†c. With with. To happen at the same time as; to correspond to in position; to coincide with. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > simultaneity or contemporaneousness > be simultaneous with [verb (transitive)]
accompany1543
to fall in1636
1636 J. Browning Concerning Publike-prayer 194 The first moneth amongst the Iewes answered to this present moneth of March; fell in with this very time.
1662 E. Stillingfleet Origines Sacræ i. vi. §3 The reign of Adrastus at Sicyon falls in with that of Atreus and Thyestes at Argi or Mycenæ.
1712 J. James tr. A.-J. Dézallier d'Argenville Theory & Pract. Gardening 100 The Track..of the circular Segments, with which the Tracing-Point ought to fall in exactly.
a1727 I. Newton Chronol. Anc. Kingdoms Amended (1728) vi. 354 His 20th year fell in with the 4th year of 83d Olympiad.
1766 G. Adams Treat. New Celestial & Terrestr. Globes 234 Placing it [sc. a globe] in such a manner that the principal great circles, and points, may concur and fall in with those of the heavens.
1833 Fraser's Mag. Dec. 642/1 We find the same phenomenon occurred b.c. 1793-1789, which falls in with the commencement of the reign of Aseth.
†5. intransitive. To happen, occur, take place. Cf. to fall out 5a at Phrasal verbs 1. Obsolete.In quot. 1655: to occur or appear in a narrative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > occurrence > [verb (intransitive)]
becomec888
i-tidec888
falleOE
ywortheOE
i-limp975
belimpOE
i-timeOE
worthOE
tidea1131
goa1200
arearc1275
syec1275
betide1297
fere1297
risea1350
to come aboutc1350
overcomea1382
passa1393
comea1400
to come in (also to, on, etc.) placea1400
eschew?a1400
chevec1400
shapec1400
hold1462
to come (also go) to pass1481
proceed?1518
occura1522
bechance1527
overpass1530
sorta1535
succeed1537
adventurec1540
to fall toc1540
success1545
to fall forth1569
fadge1573
beword?1577
to fall in1578
happen1580
event1590
arrive1600
offer1601
grow1614
fudge1615
incur1626
evene1654
obvene1654
to take place1770
transpire1775
to go on1873
to show up1879
materialize1885
break1914
cook1932
to go down1946
society > leisure > the arts > literature > prose > narrative or story > tell a story [verb (intransitive)] > be told in story
to fall in1655
1578 A. Golding tr. Seneca Conc. Benefyting vi. xxxiv. f. 100 Manie thinges will fall in by the way, and minister thee matter too woorke thy faithfulnesse vppon, although thou wish them not.
1589 G. Puttenham Arte Eng. Poesie ii. x. 71 Continue on till an other like distance fall in.
1655 H. L'Estrange Reign King Charles 75 What became of those Iesuites will fall in after-ward.
1681 Bp. G. Burnet Hist. Reformation: 2nd Pt. ii. 339 At Frankfort an unhappy difference fell in among some of them, who had used before the English Liturgy.
a1691 R. Baxter Reliquæ Baxterianæ (1696) ii. 298 I am next to insert some Businesses of my own, which fell in at this same time.
a1715 Bp. G. Burnet Hist. Own Time (1724) I. 435 An accident fell in..which took off much from Oates's credit.
1883 R. L. Stevenson Treasure Island iv. xvii. 139 The report fell in at the same instant.
6. intransitive.
a. With with.
(a) To begin to associate or keep company with (a person or group of people, now esp. a group regarded as disreputable or undesirable).
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social relations > association, fellowship, or companionship > a companion or associate > accompany or associate with [verb (transitive)]
seeOE
to bear (a person) company (also fellowship, etc.)c1225
mella1300
fellowshipa1382
companya1400
accompany1461
to keep company (with)1502
encompanya1513
to keep (a person) company1517
to take repast1517
assist1553
to take up with1570
rempare1581
to go along with1588
amate1590
bear1590
to fall in1593
consort1598
second1600
to walk (also travel) in the way with1611
comitate1632
associate1644
enhaunt1658
join1713
assort1823
sit1828
companionize1870
to take tea with1888
to knock about with1915
tote1977
fere-
1593 T. Lodge Life & Death William Long Beard sig. C2v It fortuned, that one Arthur Browne,..fell in with Maudline, Will[i]ams wanton concubine.
1597 W. Shakespeare Richard III iii. v. 49 After he once fell in with Mistresse Shore. View more context for this quotation
1629 J. Wadsworth Eng. Spanish Pilgrime viii. 87 Wee lodged..at one Roberts his House, at the Signe of the Boote, where hauing scarcely rested halfe an howres space, I fell in with a Master of an English Barke newly come from Douer.
a1712 T. Halyburton Mem. (1714) ii. iii. 28 It was my Mercy that I fell in with sober Comerads and bookishly inclined.
1876 Mississippi in 1875 I. 364 I saw Morris Ward, and called to him to fall in with us.
1955 Times 11 Aug. 9/5 Senhor Alberto de Lacerda is a Portuguese writer in his late twenties, who has had the good fortune to fall in with Mr. Arthur Waley.
2004 M. Keyes Other Side of Story (2005) 63 She had fallen in with a bad crowd.
(b) To meet or encounter by chance; to happen on, come across. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > occurrence > [verb (transitive)] > encounter or experience
ymetec893
findeOE
meetOE
counterc1325
overtakec1390
limp?a1400
tidea1400
runa1450
to fall with ——?c1475
onlightc1475
recounterc1485
recount1490
to come in witha1500
occur1531
to fall on ——1533
to fall upon ——1533
beshine1574
rencontre1582
entertain1591
cope with1594
happen1594
tocome1596
incur1599
forgather1600
thwart1601
to fall in1675
cross1684
to come across ——1738
to cross upon (or on)1748
to fall across ——1760
experience1786
to drop in1802
encounter1814
to come upon ——1820
to run against ——1821
to come in contact with1862
to run across ——1864
to knock or run up against1886
to knock up against1887
the world > existence and causation > occurrence > [verb (transitive)] > encounter or experience > a place or person
fortune1520
dropa1634
to fall in1675
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > movement towards a thing, person, or position > meeting or encounter > meet or encounter [verb (transitive)]
meeteOE
yaina1000
yseeOE
oftakelOE
to meet withc1300
finda1325
encounter1520
occur1527
bemeet1608
to fall in1675
1675 J. Ogilby Britannia 90 Proceeding forward you fall in with a well-beaten Road from St. Neots.
1748 B. Robins & R. Walter Voy. round World by Anson i. vii. 71 We had great expectation of falling in with Pizarro's squadron.
1795 Hist. in Ann. Reg. 30 A Polish corps..fell in with the main body of the Russians.
1833 H. Martineau Cinnamon & Pearls i. 5 They fell in with no other vessel till they came in sight of the shore.
1853 W. R. King Campaigning in Kaffirland 80 On the plain we had the good fortune to fall in with several herd of spring-bok.
1865 C. Dickens Our Mutual Friend II. iv. iii. 177 They arrived at certain cross-ways where they would be likely to fall in with any one coming..from Clerkenwell to the Bower.
1902 G. S. Whitmore Last Maori War vii. 97 Two settlers..did, however, fall in with the enemy, and only by dint of great presence of mind and resolute courage escaped.
1997 W. Rollinson Dict. Cumbrian Dial. 56/2 Fell in wi', met by chance. ‘Ah fell in wi' me marra fra Workiton.’
†b. With on, upon. To visit unexpectedly or without prior arrangement; to ‘drop in on’. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > social event > visit > visiting > visit [verb (transitive)] > unexpectedly
to fall in1788
descend1882
1788 E. Burke Let. 8 Apr. in J. Boswell Corr. (1986) IV. 156 I cannot indulge myself in a positive engagement, but if you will condescend to let me fall in upon you on that or any day when you invite other friends, [etc.].
1888 B. W. Richardson Son of Star II. iii. 29 To fall in upon his generals and see the encampments suddenly and without notice..is the very thing that suits his versatile humour.
1890 Cent. Mag. 128/1 I am always glad when any one falls in on me like you have to-night.
†c. English regional. Of two or more people: to meet. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > occurrence > [verb (intransitive)] > come across or meet with
again-comea1382
counterc1475
occur1527
to fall on ——1533
recounter1583
greeta1627
encounter1632
rencounter1632
bemeet1656
pop1668
to fall in1808
the mind > emotion > love > friendliness > be friendly [verb (intransitive)] > become mutually acquainted
acquaintc1350
know1601
quaint1606
to fall in1808
to pick up1838
1808 R. Anderson et al. Ballads in Cumberland Dial. (1819) 163 Fifty shwort years hae flown owre us, Sin' furst we fell in at the fair.
7. intransitive. Nautical. To sail towards or arrive at land. Usually with with. Now historical and rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > [verb (transitive)] > reach by sailing or arrive at
arrivec1440
to fall with ——?c1475
feta1547
seize1588
fetch1589
purchase1589
to fall in1598
porta1625
set1632
society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > direct or manage ship [verb (intransitive)] > head in a certain course or direction > sail towards shore
to stand in1582
to bear in1587
to bear with —1587
to fall in1598
1598 R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations (new ed.) I. 213 If from thence they doe continue their nauigation, following the coasts that returne toward the Occident, they shall fall in with Malaca.
1600 Earl of Desmond Let. 21 Oct. in Jrnl. Royal Hist. & Archæol. Assoc. Ireland (1873) 2 495 I..besaught them to land me any where; so being not able to reach Corke,..wee fell in at Youghall.
1608 T. Milles Custumers Alphabet & Primer sig. Fv A Shyppe..meetes with a dangerous storme in the Narrow-Seas, and doubting the Goodyn-sands, falls in with the Forelands..and..puts in at last to Sandwich-Hauen.
1697 W. Dampier New Voy. around World xvii. 472 We fell in with a small woody Island.
1748 B. Robins & R. Walter Voy. round World by Anson ii. ii. 137 This ship..had fallen in to the northward of the Island.
1780 W. Coxe Acct. Russ. Discov. 26 Possibly the time is not far distant when some of the Russian adventurers will fall in with that coast.
1817 J. W. Norie New Mediterranean Pilot 173 Take care to fall in with the land to the northward of Tripoli, on account of the current.
1866 A. D. Taylor West Coast of Hindostan Pilot v. 128 It is still prudent to fall in with Kundári island bearing but little to the southward of East.
1908 Marine Rev. 19 Mar. 26/1 Vessels..would work far to the eastward..in order to fall in with the Cape Verde islands.
1994 R. B. Wernham Return of Armadas xii. 171 By then the rest of the fleet had fallen in with the land east of Cape Ortegal.
8. intransitive.
a. To sink or slope inwards; esp. (of a person's cheeks, eyes, etc.) to become sunken in appearance, typically as a result of illness or old age.Now chiefly in the perfect (to have fallen in). Cf. fallen-in adj. at fallen adj. and n. Compounds 1b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > bodily shape or physique > slim shape or physique > slim [verb (intransitive)] > shrink
to fall away1527
fall?1528
to fall in1607
lanka1616
pitch1751
fine1873
the world > life > the body > external parts of body > head > face > mouth > [verb (intransitive)] > recede
to fall in1607
1607 W. Alexander Alexandraean Trag. v. ii, in Monarchicke Trag. (rev. ed.) sig. O All then began to languish, and to fade... Legges fail'd the bodie, and the necke the head, Then whilst the flesh fell in, bones bursted out.
1641 F. W. Warm Beere iv. 53 Want of the teeth causeth the mouth to fall in with an undecent relapse of the lips into the hollownesse of the mouth.
1681 N. Grew Musæum Regalis Societatis iii. ii. 336 The apple marchasite, as it may be call'd. 'Tis round, excepting on one side, where it falls in, and hath a stalk, like a young Apple.
1704 London Gaz. No. 4031/4 His Mouth falls in.
1862 G. W. Thornbury Life J. M. W. Turner II. xvii. 316 The cheeks sink, the mouth falls in, the eye is feeble, even the hair is lean and sickly.
1894 N.E.D. at Fall Mod. Her eyes have fallen in.
1906 A. Conan Doyle Sir Nigel xxvi. 322 The bowyer's round face had fallen in so that the skin hung in loose pouches under his eyes and beneath his jaws.
1935 S. Spender in Living Age Dec. 329/2 His face seemed flat and impassive,..hollowed where the toothless mouth had fallen in.
2005 Evening Standard (Nexis) 15 Mar. 30 It is used medically for filling out faces which have fallen in through ill-health.
b. Of a roof, wall, building, etc.: to collapse inwards; to cave in. In later use sometimes more fully to fall in on itself. Also figurative and in figurative contexts.See also the roof falls in at roof n. Phrases 7. With quot. 1992 cf. the sky is falling at sky n.1 Phrases 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > falling > fall [verb (intransitive)] > fall down or from erect position > fall in pieces or ruins
to-fallc893
fallOE
to fall downc1175
tumblea1400
sinka1450
ruin1531
to fall in1611
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > falling > fall [verb (intransitive)] > collapse > inwards
to sink in1530
to fall in1611
to cave in1707
to run in1747
cave1848
1611 R. Peake tr. S. Serlio 3rd Bk. Archit. f. 72v For that by meanes of the widenesse of the middlemost part, the roofe should not fall in, therefore the two Pilasters were left in the middle.
1671 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 6 2265 By a new Earth-quake the Top or Turret of Mount Ætna..fell in.
1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 93 Thinking that the Top of my Cave was falling in.
1768 J. Byron Narr. Patagonia 212 We expected..the roof and walls of our prison to fall in upon us, and crush us to pieces.
1829 H. H. Milman Hist. Jews III. xvi. 46 During the night, the wall suddenly fell in with a terrific noise.
1888 Building 25 Aug. 58/2 The entire tower fell in on itself.
1890 C. B. Pitman tr. A. Boscowitz Earthquakes 211 The houses which had only partially fallen in continued to collapse.
1923 P. Guedalla Masters & Men i. 44 A man pulled a Browning pistol on an Archduke, and Europe fell in on itself.
1953 C. Beaton Diary in Self Portrait with Friends (1979) xix. 280 If the wall should in fact fall in, conking me on the head with great slabs of plaster, [etc.].
1992 Daily Tel. 24 July 3/1 Women feel as though their world has fallen apart or the sky has fallen in.
2009 Irish Times 4 Aug. 5/4 The detached bungalow..was completely gutted by the flames and the roof had fallen in.
†c. Of a person: to give in, yield, submit. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > be irresolute or vacillate [verb (intransitive)] > give way or give in
benda1400
sink?a1513
to give over1530
to cry creak?1562
yield1576
to hold up1596
succumb1604
to give in1616
to hoist, lower, strike the topsaila1629
to cry cravena1634
to give up or cross the cudgels1654
incumb1656
to fall in1667
to knock under1670
to knock under board, under (the) table1692
to strike underc1730
knuckle down1735
to throw (also chuck) up the sponge1860
chuck up (the sponge)1864
to throw in one's hand1893
to sky the wipe (or towel)1907
to drop one's bundle1915
to throw (chuck, or toss) in the towel1915
to buckle up1927
1667 S. Pepys Diary 27 Nov. (1974) VIII. 550 The King is now fallen in and become a slave to the Duke of Buckingham.
9.
a. Military.
(a) intransitive. To take one's place in a military formation; to get in line. Frequently in imperative.The command was used allusively in various recruitment posters and other propaganda during the First World War (1914–18) as a call to enlist: see e.g. quot. 1914.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > position or situation > be positioned or situated [verb (intransitive)] > take up position
to take (a tree) to stallc1275
pitch1535
range1582
suit1591
to take (up) (one's) station?1596
to fall in1627
to take ground1700
fix1710
to take one's (also a) perch1871
post1872
society > armed hostility > military operations > distribution of troops > formation > form or reform [verb (intransitive)] > fall into line
to fall in1627
align1781
to stand in line1788
1627 T. Kellie Pallas Armata 62 The halfe of the first Ranke falling in behind the right hand man, and the other halfe of it behind the left hand man.
1751 R. Paltock Life Peter Wilkins II. ix. 93 Nasgig..gave Orders for the whole Body..to fall in behind me.
1798 G. F. Koehler tr. C. de Warnery Remarks on Cavalry xv. 102 Those troopers who do not fall in with briskness and dispatch, should be punished.
1841 C. J. Lever Charles O'Malley lxv. 306 ‘Fall in, fall in there lads!’ resounded along the line.
1883 G. M. Fenn Middy & Ensign xxxi. 189 The order was given to fall in, and they were soon ranged in line.
1914 Poster (Parl. Recruiting Comm. No. 12) in www.nam.ac.uk ‘Fall in.’ Answer now in your country's hour of need.
?1968 J. Perry & D. Croft Dad's Army: Scripts 2nd Ser. Episode 2. 109/1 Platoon, fall in.
a2012 H. Harrison Harry Harrison! Harry Harrison! (2014) iii. 55 Back in the barracks we found our orders posted. We were to fall in on the Monday morning.
(b) transitive. To arrange or draw up (troops) in formation.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military operations > distribution of troops > [verb (transitive)] > draw up (troops) > in line or rank
rank1573
to fall in1845
1845 W. N. Hutchinson Standing Orders to Two Battalions, XXth Regiment at Bermuda 71 At the regulated hour he will fall in the men who are to draw the Company's rations, march them to the place of issue, and see that justice is done to his Company.
1888 J. H. Parke in H. M. Stanley Darkest Afr. (1890) I. xix. 464 Stanley fell in all the men.
1889 Pall Mall Gaz. 2 Apr. 3/2 The marines were fallen in for rifle drill.
1940 ‘Gun Buster’ Return via Dunkirk ii. xx. 249 We..fell-in the men, and led them down to the water's edge.
2000 J. Townend Broad Oceans & Narrow Seas ii. 5 Take this lot outside and fall them in, in four ranks facing the roadway.
(c) transitive (in passive). Chiefly British. to get fell in: to be put in formation; to fall in. Usually in imperative. Also in extended use.The phrase, notable because of its irregular use of the past tense form fell instead of the past participle fallen, was apparently commonly used by non-commissioned officers during the First World War (1914–18) and the Second World War (1939–45).
ΚΠ
1914 New Statesman 5 Dec. 219/2 After breakfast you see that the sick ‘get fell in’ by companies to the sound of a bugle.
1918 Daily News (Perth, Austral.) 27 July 3/4 ‘Now then, you fellows, get fell in!’ says a N.C.O. of the old army irritably (you can generally tell them by their English).
1930 E. Raymond Jesting Army iii. v. 327 I was standing with the crah'd watchin' the West Essex getting fell in.
1945 C. H. Ward-Jackson It's a Piece of Cake (new ed.) 32 ‘Get fell in!’ Fall in! Common way for senior N.C.O.s to give the command.
1996 Herald (Glasgow) (Nexis) 29 Aug. 19 To them the magazine's word is law... Get fell in. Left-right, left-right, [etc.].
2010 Northern Echo (Nexis) 14 Aug. A tiny lance-corporal..screamed at us to get fell in, get lined up and get into the truck.
b. intransitive. In extended use: to take one's place in a procession; (more generally) to begin to walk or go alongside or behind a person, vehicle, etc. Frequently with behind, beside, with. Cf. to fall into (also in) step at Phrases 1k(c).
ΚΠ
1815 T. Chalmers Let. 27 Oct. in W. Hanna Mem. T. Chalmers (1851) II. 21 The ministers..must fall in at every procession.
1857 D. P. Thompson Gaut Gurley vi. 73 Throw your anchor into the stern of my canoe, and fall in behind.
1910 Secret Service 30 Dec. 2/1 ‘Follow me!’.. He walked right on. The Bradys fell in behind him.
1976 A. Brink Instant in Wind (1979) 193 Without a word..he turns and begins to stride on; she falls in beside him.
2008 Church Times 10 Oct. 16/3 I would ensure I was positioned early at the chancel step, joined by my fellow, ready for us to fall in with the bishop as he left the chancel.
c. intransitive. To return home; to arrive. Chiefly U.S.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > movement towards a thing, person, or position > reaching a point or place > reach a point or place [verb (intransitive)] > arrive
comeOE
to come to townOE
yworthOE
lend11..
lightc1225
to come anovenonc1275
wina1300
'rivec1300
repaira1325
applyc1384
to come ina1399
rede?a1400
arrivec1400
attainc1400
alightc1405
to come to handc1450
unto-comec1450
apport1578
to be along1597
to drop in1609
to come ona1635
to walk in1656
land1679
engage1686
to come along1734
to get in1863
to turn up1870
to fall in1900
to lob1916
to roll up1920
to breeze in1930
to rock up1975
1900 C. L. Cullen Tales of Ex-tanks xxv. 383 He wouldn't think anything of it when we'd all fall in in a bunch at 4:27 in the morning.
1953 D. Kramer & M. Karr Teen-age Gangs 158 When he falls in at the dance tonight it won't be like anyone ever fell in before.
2003 V. O. Carter Such Sweet Thunder 11 Ruben..had to work late that Saturday. He fell in about twelve.
10. intransitive.
a. Chiefly Law. Of money or property: to pass into the ownership of a particular person; spec. (of a granted property) to revert to the original owner.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > legal right > right of possession or ownership > right to succeed to title, position, or estate > reversion > revert [verb (intransitive)]
reverta1325
to turn againc1325
turn1500
to fall in1784
a1736 W. P. Williams Rep. High Court Chancery (1740) 2 80 A subsequent Contingency of Assets falling in, must not exempt the Jewels from Debts.
1784 Addit. to Luton in Bibliotheca Topographica Britannica No. 26. *60 The woman died, and all her lands fell in to the abbot and monks of St. Albans without any obstruction.
1841 H. J. Stephen New Comm. Laws Eng. I. 165 The estate which was lapsed or fallen in by the death of the last tenant.
1845 C. Herbert tr. Grotius Introd. Dutch Jurispr. ii. xxi. 147 Repudiation must take place after the inheritance falls in by death.
1885 Law Rep.: Chancery Div. 30 18 The claim..would bind those assets when they fell in.
1919 Country Life 11 Oct. 462/1 He and his son had passed away before that inheritance fell in.
1970 Daily Tel. 11 Dec. (Colour Suppl.) 14 In the trade there is a strange idiom for the realisation of a reversion... The reversion is said to ‘fall in’. ‘We bought three in about 1926. Two of them fell in quite quickly.’
2011 Financial Law Reporter (Nexis) 15 June He is the owner of that share which is defined immediately the inheritance falls in.
b. Of a contract, esp. a lease: to expire; to become available for renewal.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > end or conclusion > be at an end [verb (intransitive)] > come to an end, terminate, or expire
to run outeOE
endOE
stintc1275
slakea1300
overpassc1350
determinec1374
overruna1393
dispend1393
failc1399
missa1400
to wear out, forth1412
stanchc1420
to come outa1450
terminea1450
expire?c1450
finish1490
conclude1593
upclose1603
terminate1608
to shut up1609
to wind off1650
stop1733
to fall in1771
close1821
to blaze out1884
outgive1893
to play out1964
1771 London Mag. Mar. 154/2 As fast as any lease fell in, the Portland family took possession of them.
1815 W. Combe Hist. Univ. Cambr. II. 59 No lease had fallen in during the thirty years that he had the chancellorship of York.
1894 App. Jrnls. House of Representatives N.Z. (1st Sess. 12th Parl.) II. F.–2. 9 The present contract falls in in November next.
1948 G. W. Southgate Eng. Econ. Hist. (new ed.) xx. 172 When a lease fell in, a landlord was able to demand a higher rent for its renewal.
2003 Estates Gaz. (Nexis) 5 Apr. 46 Leases fall in over next few years and GPE is putting breaks in new leases in 2005.
†c. Of a debt: to become due. Obsolete. rare.
ΚΠ
1789 Crit. Rev. Oct. 317 In M. de Calonne's administration 600 millions of debt had fallen in; and it was supposed that he traced the deficit very high to conceal his own faults.
11. intransitive. to fall in for: to receive; to incur; to come in for. Cf. in for at in adv. Phrases 2, to come in for at come v. Phrasal verbs 1.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > acquisition > obtain or acquire [verb (transitive)]
wieldeOE
haveeOE
ofgoOE
oweOE
addlec1175
winc1175
avela1200
to come by ——a1225
covera1250
oughtc1275
reachc1275
hentc1300
purchasec1300
to come to ——c1330
getc1330
pickc1330
chevise1340
fang1340
umbracec1350
chacche1362
perceivea1382
accroacha1393
achievea1393
to come at ——a1393
areach1393
recovera1398
encroach?a1400
chevec1400
enquilec1400
obtainc1422
recurec1425
to take upc1425
acquirea1450
encheve1470
sortise1474
conques?a1500
tain1501
report1508
conquest1513
possess1526
compare1532
cough1550
coff1559
fall1568
reap1581
acquist1592
accrue1594
appurchasec1600
recoil1632
to get at ——1666
to come into ——1672
rise1754
net1765
to fall in for1788
to scare up1846
access1953
the mind > possession > acquisition > receiving > receive [verb (transitive)] > be given
underfoc888
afangOE
underfongc1175
getc1300
latchc1300
undertake1393
receivea1400
to take up1639
to come into ——1672
to fall in for1788
society > morality > duty or obligation > responsibility > be responsible for [verb (transitive)] > become liable for
score1592
contract1719
to fall in for1788
1788 W. Taplin Gentleman's Stable Directory 71 Such [horses]..fall in for a much greater proportion of work than care.
1824 New Monthly Mag. 10 514 The young Hibernian Academy has fallen in for a legacy of twenty or thirty thousand.
1853 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 14 ii. 465 Those pigs having flourished most which had fallen in for the lion's share.
1864 A. Trollope Small House at Allington I. xvi. 157 ‘I did not mean to fall in for all this,’ said Crosbie, to himself.
1901 Washington Post 31 July The chamber of commerce fell in for its share of harsh criticism, but perhaps unjustly.
1963 Irish Times 16 Jan. 8/2 Seventeen years later she fell in for an additional £1,500.
2001 Leicester Mercury (Nexis) 7 Dec. 19 The council..looks likely to fall in for some criticism.
 to fall off
1. intransitive. To come loose or become detached and drop off.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separation or detachment > become detached [verb (intransitive)] > fall off or out
to fall offeOE
fallOE
to fall awayc1300
to fall forth1560
absciss1918
eOE Bald's Leechbk. (Royal) (1865) i. xxxv. 86 Eft ymb þreo niht smire mid hunige þæt þy þe raþor sio hryfing of fealle.
1490 W. Caxton tr. Boke yf Eneydos xxxii. sig. Hviii The wax..beganne to melte and the feders to falle of.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Psalms i. 3 His leeues shal not fall off.
1583 C. Hollyband Campo di Fior 51 Put thy sacchell over thy arme, that it fall not of.
1611 Bible (King James) Acts xii. 7 His chaines fell off from his hands. View more context for this quotation
1665 R. Hooke Micrographia 131 The skin cleaves and at length falls off.
1711 Direct. Sowing & Preparing of Flax (Linen & Hempen Manuf. Ireland) 6 The Stalks of the Flax turn Yellow, the Seed Brown, and the Leaves wither and fall off.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth III. 354 The old long hair falling off, and a shorter coat of hair appearing in its room.
1824 Med. Adviser 1 383/2 Her feet rotted, and both fell off at the ancle joints.
1858 E. B. Lee Parthenia xxvi. 230 A lovely infant, clothed only with a little shirt, one sleeve of which had fallen off.
1917 S. Lewis in Sat. Evening Post 28 July 35/2 Her hat fell off and her hair was a little disordered.
1971 D. Conover One Man's Island 23 The right fender fell off and rolled into a ditch.
2001 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 16 Feb. 20 The scabs from her wounds are only now beginning to fall off.
2. intransitive. To abandon, desert, or become estranged from someone; to withdraw one's support or allegiance (from). Cf. to fall away 2b at Phrasal verbs 1. Now somewhat rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > hatred > quarrel or falling out > quarrel or fall at variance [verb (intransitive)]
varyc1450
quarrel1530
square1530
to fall offa1535
breach1573
snarl1593
snarl1597
breaka1616
to break offa1645
to cast out1730
to get wrong1803
split1835
split1843
society > authority > lack of subjection > rebelliousness > insurrection > rise in revolt [verb (intransitive)]
arisec825
onriseOE
rise?a1160
stirc1275
inrisea1300
upstanda1300
again-risea1382
rebela1382
raisea1400
insurge1532
to fall offa1535
revolt1548
to rise in arms1563
tumult1570
tumultuatea1734
insurrect1821
insurrectionize1841
to break into rebellion1876
a1535 T. More Hist. Richard III in Wks. (1557) 58/2 Whose harte she perceiued more firmely set, then to fall of for a worde.
1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 i. iii. 93 Reuolted Mortimer: He neuer did fall off . View more context for this quotation
1612 Bp. J. Hall Contempl. I. ii. vi. 151 Like as those which purposed loue, when they fall off, call for their tokens backe againe.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost i. 30 What cause Mov'd our Grand Parents..to fall off From their Creator. View more context for this quotation
1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 179. ¶1 Were I always Grave, one half of my Readers would fall off from me.
1720 D. Defoe Mem. Cavalier 138 The Duke of Saxony fell off, and fought against them.
1832 F. Marryat Newton Forster III. 220 As her income diminished, so did her acquaintances fall off.
1888 B. W. Richardson Son of Star III. xiv. 254 He sees the..people falling off from the king.
1901 W. H. Wilkins Caroline the Illustrious II. iii. viii. 196 Thus matters went on.., majorities in Parliament getting smaller and smaller, supporters falling off one by one.
2007 K. A. Cairns Enigma Woman xiii. 224 With her old friends falling off, she might have made new ones at the prison, but she did not.
3. intransitive. Nautical.
†a. Of a ship or boat: to deviate from its course. Usually with from or to. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > direct or manage ship [verb (intransitive)] > head in a certain course or direction > drop away from direct course
to fall off1569
yaw1584
sag1633
bag1836
to break off1867
1569 B. Googe Shippe of Safegarde sig. B.vij Therfore who sayleth nere this lothsome place, Fall off betimes and keepe another way.
1632 J. Hayward tr. G. F. Biondi Eromena 64 The Prince..fell off with a contrary wind to Fermentera.
1892 Eng. Illustr. Mag. 9 555 The vessel fell off from her course.
b. Of a ship or boat: to change direction so as to point away from the wind; to turn to leeward; spec. (esp. in early use) to fail to stay on course close to the wind.Also with the sailor, or the bow of the ship, as subject. N.E.D. (1894) noted a rare transitive use with the related sense ‘To let (a vessel) veer from the wind’, but no evidence of this use has been found.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > use of wind > avail oneself of a wind [verb (intransitive)] > fall off to leeward
to fall offc1625
to pay away1625
pay1667
to pay off1801
to pay round1825
society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > direct or manage ship [verb (transitive)] > set a ship's course > deviate from
to fall off1841
c1625 Treat. Rigging in W. Salisbury & R. C. Anderson Treat. Shipbuilding & Treat. Rigging (1958) 47 When a ship will not keepe her winde and that her head falles off.
1644 H. Mainwaring Sea-mans Dict. 2 The Steeres-man..suffers the Ship to fall-off from the wind.
1699 W. Dampier Voy. & Descr. ii. i. 22 She would fall off 2 or 3 Points from the Wind.
1729 J. Collier Compend. Artis Nauticæ 3 Her Head will sometimes come up to 5 Points of the Wind, and fall off to about 8 from it.
1796 R. H. Gower Treat. Theory & Pract. Seamanship (ed. 2) ii. 62 The hauling the tow-line on board will cause both ships to fall off from the wind.
1841 R. H. Dana Seaman's Man. xii. 74 Let her have a plenty of helm, to come to and fall off freely with the sea.
1890 W. C. Russell Ocean Trag. II. xvi. 71 The helm was put over and the yacht's head fell off.
1962 A. Brown Invitation to Sailing vii. 111 When you find yourself on top of a wave, fall off a bit to leeward.
1996 S. Colgate Fund. Sailing, Cruising & Racing (new ed.) ii. i. 127 If she starts to fall off, put her in forward gear and kick her into the wind again.
†4. intransitive. Nautical. Of a ship: to move away from another after an attack; (of two ships) to move apart. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > direct or manage ship [verb (intransitive)] > head in a certain course or direction > separate or part company
to fall off1577
to lose company1578
1577 R. Holinshed Chron. II. 1476/1 The whole ship..was set on fyer, and so both the Carrike & the Regent being crappled togyther, so as they coulde not fall off, were bothe consumed by fier.
1669 S. Sturmy Mariners Mag. i. 20 Starboard give not fire until he fall off.
1795 Ld. Nelson in Dispatches & Lett. (1845) II. 13 As the Ship fell off, [I] gave her our whole broadside.
5. intransitive. To move or step back or aside; to retreat, withdraw (literal and figurative). Later esp.: to become separated from a group or crowd. Now rare.In quot. 1649: to renege on an agreement; cf. sense 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > backward movement > move backwards [verb (intransitive)] > retire, withdraw, or retreat
withdraw1297
recoilc1330
give place1382
arrear1399
to draw backa1400
resortc1425
adrawc1450
recedec1450
retraya1470
returna1470
rebut1481
wyke1481
umbedrawc1485
retreata1500
retract1535
retire1542
to give back1548
regress1552
to fall back?1567
peak1576
flinch1578
to fall offa1586
to draw off1602
to give ground1607
retrograde1613
to train off1796
to beat a retreat1861
to back off1938
the mind > mental capacity > memory > effacement, obliteration > cancellation, revocation > make revocation [verb (intransitive)]
revokec1400
to call off1620
unvote1647
to fall off1710
obnounce1741
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1593) iii. sig. Gg2v Dorus fell off from the matter againe, as if he had meant no such thing.
1598 R. Barret Theorike & Pract. Mod. Warres iii. 39 Cause them vpon another sound of the drumme, to fall of, or backe againe into their former places.
1623 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Henry VIII iv. i. 66 The..Lords, and Ladies, hauing brought the Queene To a prepar'd place..fell off A distance from her. View more context for this quotation
a1640 P. Massinger Bashful Lover ii. ii. 40 in 3 New Playes (1655) Sweet Youth, fall off.
1649 Bp. J. Hall Resol. & Decisions i. vi. 58 You have just reason..to fall off from the bargaine.
1710 R. Steele Tatler No. 247. ⁋5 When you had consented to his Offer, if he fell off, you would call him a Cheat.
1838 C. Dickens Oliver Twist III. l. 300 They fell off one by one..the street was left to solitude.
1860 Morning Chron. 21 July 8/4 The third pair gradually fell off, till the two leading boats had it all their own way.
2011 Hume Weekly (Austral.) (Nexis) 15 Nov. 18 Once I fell off from the pack I spent the whole race chasing them.
6. intransitive.
a. To decrease in number, amount, intensity, or degree; to diminish.In quot. 1684: to diminish to nothing, to be eliminated.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > decrease or reduction in quantity, amount, or degree > decrease in quantity, amount, or degree [verb (intransitive)] > decline or fall off
afalleOE
swindOE
slakec1315
pairc1390
fade1398
to fall awayc1510
decline1530
to fall off1608
sink1613
recess1641
fail1819
lighten1827
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > destroy [verb (intransitive)] > be destroyed, ruined, or come to an end
losec888
fallOE
forlesea1225
perishc1275
spilla1300
to go to wreche13..
to go to the gatec1330
to go to lostc1374
miscarryc1387
quenchc1390
to bring unto, to fall into, to go, put, or work to wrakea1400
mischieve?a1400
tinea1400
to go to the devilc1405
bursta1450
untwindc1460
to make shipwreck1526
to go to (the) pot1531
to go to wreck (and ruin)a1547
wrake1570
wracka1586
to hop (also tip, pitch over, drop off, etc.) the perch1587
to lie in the dusta1591
mischief1598
to go (etc.) to rack (and ruin)1599
shipwreck1607
suffera1616
unravel1643
to fall off1684
tip (over) the perch1699
to do away with1769
to go to the dickens1833
collapse1838
to come (also go) a mucker1851
mucker1862
to go up1864
to go to squash1889
to go (to) stramash1910
to go for a burton1941
to meet one's Makera1978
1608 W. Shakespeare King Lear ii. 107 Loue cooles, friendship fals off, brothers diuide. View more context for this quotation
1684 Bp. G. Burnet tr. T. More Utopia 202 Who does not see that Frauds..would all fall off?
1692 E. Settle Notorious Imposter 2 Business began to fall off: His many Rambles from home, soon made his Practice flag.
1749 Acct. Voy. for Discov. North-west Passage II. 31 It was the Season of the Year for the Tides to fall off.
1827 O. W. Roberts Narr. Voy. Central Amer. 271 Towards evening..the breeze began to fall off.
1833 T. B. Macaulay Life & Lett. (1883) I. 304 The publishers..tell him that the sale is falling off.
1890 Longman's Mag. July 241 The demand for porcelain had much fallen off.
1914 W. Owen Let. 14 Oct. (1967) 287 If pupils fall off I shall be obliged to pack off sooner!
1986 D. Carey Battlestations! iii. 34 The tourist trade had fallen off to a trickle.
2000 Financial Times 29 Mar. 37/1 I don't think anyone expects spending to fall off anytime soon.
b. To deteriorate in health or physical strength; (of health) to deteriorate. In later use chiefly: to lose weight (either intentionally or as a result of illness). Cf. to fall away 5b at Phrasal verbs 1. Now U.S. regional (chiefly southern and south Midland).
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > bodily shape or physique > slim shape or physique > slim [verb (intransitive)] > thin
leanc897
relank1545
emaciate1646
to fall off1710
excarnate1735
skeletonize1831
thin1870
skinny1939
1710 J. Addison Tatler No. 148 Many great Families are insensibly fallen off from the Athletick Constitution of their Progenitors, and are dwindled away into a pale, sickly, Spindle-Legged, Generation of Valetudinarians.
1802 T. Beddoes Hygëia II. vii. 38 The patient fell off in flesh.
1871 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 11 Nov. 547/2 He then began to fall off; and, at the age of fifteen, his health had suffered very seriously, and he became wan and extremely wasted.
1890 G. Gissing Emancipated II. i. xiii. 100 Her..health began to fall off.
1928 A. E. Pease Dict. Dial. N. Riding Yorks. 39/1 Fall off,..to waste away... ‘T'fooal's fallen off sin t'meer's bin short o' gess this dthrowtty taam.’
1950 Publ. Amer. Dial. Soc. No. 14 28 [S. Carolina.] Fall off,..to lose weight. There is no necessary connotation of bad health. ‘She has fallen off some, and looks much better.’
1979–80 Verbatim Winter 14/1 Erma your dress is loose. Did you fall off a little?
c. To decline in quality.
ΚΠ
1796 Express & Evening Chron. 2 Apr. The play fell off in the two last acts.
1847 C. Dickens Dombey & Son (1848) xxvii. 275 ‘We have fallen off deplorably,’ said Mr. Carker.
1876 Newtonian Feb. 57 Davidson fell off terribly in the second game, and allowed his opponent to win easily.
1924 P. G. Wodehouse Let. 4 Feb. in Yours, Plum (1990) i. 36 [He] has fallen off badly lately. He has lost all his comedy and is now just a fat slob.
1949 Times Lit. Suppl. 25 May 259/1 The narrative falls off a little in its closing stages.
2013 USA Today (Nexis) 10 Apr. 1 a Considering the off-the-course turmoil.., Azinger wasn't surprised to see Woods' game fall off and his mental strength on the golf course diminish.
7. intransitive. Of a coastline: to recede. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > land mass > shore or bank > seashore or coast > [verb (intransitive)] > recede (of coastline)
to fall off1719
to fall back1772
1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 14 The Shore falls off to the Westward towards Cromer.
1744 A. Dobbs Remarks upon Capt. Middleton's Def. 89 As they sail along northerly or westerly, if the Coast falls off, as it is expected, they must observe to look out for a Creek or Harbour.
1835 Penny Cycl. III. 29/1 As the shore south of this cape falls off to the west, the current is at a greater distance.
1966 C. O. Sauer Early Spanish Man vi. 140 The easting course was maintained until the coast fell off southward beyond the Archipelago de las Mulatas.
1975 J. Clavell Shōgun xviii. 194 Below them were the sleeping city and harbor and islands, Awaji to the west, the coastline falling off to the east.
8. intransitive. To fall asleep. Cf. to drop off 3 at drop v. Phrasal verbs.
a. With complement, as to fall off to sleep, to fall off asleep, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sleeping and waking > sleep > [verb (intransitive)] > go to sleep or fall asleep
to fall, lull, lay (bring obs.) asleepOE
to fall overa1752
to go off1813
to drop off1820
to fall off1822
to get off to sleep1837
to fall off1862
tope1863
sleepy-baw1907
to go out1928
to zizz off1962
1822 Times 5 Nov. 3/4 She was still very drowsy, and fell off to sleep about ten o'clock.
1829 J. Shipp Mem. Mil. Career I. viii. 138 Thus gazing, I fell off to sleep.
1850 Tait's Edinb. Mag. July 422/1 The drunkards fell off asleep.
1909 E. R. Roe Rum & Ruin xi. 95 Being..accustomed to drop asleep whenever and wherever he had an opportunity, he soon fell off into slumber.
1967 J. B. Keane Lett. of Successful TD viii, in Celebrated Lett. (1996) 61 When he fell off into a sleep, Mr and Mrs Kettleton took him upstairs and put him into bed.
2007 Irish Times 19 Feb. 2/2 It was close to 2am when I was just falling off to sleep.
b. Without complement.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sleeping and waking > sleep > [verb (intransitive)] > go to sleep or fall asleep
to fall, lull, lay (bring obs.) asleepOE
to fall overa1752
to go off1813
to drop off1820
to fall off1822
to get off to sleep1837
to fall off1862
tope1863
sleepy-baw1907
to go out1928
to zizz off1962
1862 Amer. Homœopathic Rev. Aug. 81 The patient is roused with difficulty, and then immediately falls off again.
1873 Standard 2 Apr. The next time I fell off I enjoyed a genuine sleep.
1910 V. Brown Glory & Abyss xi. 69 Mind you pretend to be asleep when father comes in, and he'll soon fall off.
1992 R. Price Blue Calhoun iii. 65 I kissed Myra good night and lay flat beside her, touching her arm, till she fell off.
2015 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 10 Jan. 5 Sufferers go to bed earlier and earlier to make sure they get enough sleep, but then they often aren't tired enough to fall off properly.
† to fall on
1. intransitive. To make an attack, esp. suddenly or unexpectedly; to join battle. Cf. to fall on —— 1a at Phrasal verbs 2. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > attack > attack [verb (intransitive)]
to lay ona1225
assailc1325
sailc1330
assemblea1375
to fall inc1384
to fall ona1387
givec1430
brunt1440
to set (all) on sevenc1440
to ding on1487
to fall down1534
offend1540
to go on1553
to give on?1611
to let fly1611
strikea1616
insult1638
to set on1670
aggress1708
to carry the war into the enemy's camp1791
hop over1929
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1871) III. 59 Whan þe Sabynes fil [c1400 Tiber. ful] on.
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 2132 Þai fall on freschly þe folke of þe cite.
1623 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Henry VIII v. iii. 52 They fell on, I made good my place. View more context for this quotation
1670 J. Milton Hist. Brit. ii. 73 He..having intelligence, that the Enemie would fall on in many Bodies, devided also his Armie into three parts.
1716 London Gaz. No. 5473/1 Flanginy fell on first with the St. Lawrence.
1759 Mod. Part Universal Hist. XII. xv. xviii. 471 He set himself at the head of his troops, and fell on with such bravery, that he drove the enemies first rank upon the second.
1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. III. 425 The English were impatient to fall on.
1875 E. Magnússon & W. Morris tr. Three Northern Love Stories 57 They two alone fought together with fierce onsets and mighty strokes, which they dealt each the other, falling on furiously without stop or stay.
2. intransitive. Of night: to approach, draw on; to begin; = sense 11a. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > day and night > day or daytime > evening > become evening [verb (intransitive)] > fall (of night) or grow dark
fallOE
nightc1440
to fall ona1450
nighten1561
gloom1595
gloam1819
dusken1870
dusk1876
to shut down1880
a1450 Partonope of Blois (Univ. Coll. Oxf.) (1912) l. 1668 (MED) Tylle nyght fylle on.
a1513 R. Fabyan New Cronycles Eng. & Fraunce (1516) II. f. lxxx/1 If nyght had nat fallen on, It is to deme that many moo of theym shuld haue ben slayne.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Matt. xiv. 15 Ye night falleth on.
1648 Let. from Edinb. Relation of Late Army raised in Scotl. sig. Fv Night fell on, and the Countrey all about, firing to give notice of us, we were informed that some troupes were come there.
1862 in A. E. Masich Civil War Arizona (2006) ii. 239 Night falling on, Captain Roberts withdrew his command to the station, quarter of a mile distant.
3. intransitive. To begin, make a start. Obsolete (archaic in later use).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > undertaking > beginning action or activity > begin action or activity [verb (intransitive)]
beginc1000
onginOE
aginOE
ginc1175
to go tillc1175
to take onc1175
comsea1225
fanga1225
to go toc1275
i-ginc1275
commencec1320
to get (also get down, go, go adown, set, set down) to workc1400
to lay to one's hand(sc1405
to put to one's hand (also hands)c1410
to set toc1425
standa1450
to make to1563
to fall to it1570
to start out1574
to fall to1577
to run upon ——1581
to break off1591
start1607
to set in1608
to set to one's hands1611
to put toa1616
to fall ona1625
in1633
to fall aboard1642
auspicatea1670
to set out1693
to enter (into) the fray1698
open1708
to start in1737
inchoate1767
to set off1774
go1780
start1785
to on with1843
to kick off1857
to start in on1859
to steam up1860
to push off1909
to cut loose1923
to get (also put) the show on the road1941
to get one's arse in gear1948
a1625 F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Captaine i. iii, in Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Ggv/2 Fall on without feare wench.
1677 A. Yarranton England's Improvem. 66 We came to an agreement. Upon which I fell on, and made it..Navigable from Sturbridge to Kederminster.
1713 Guardian No. 106. (1714) II. 126 I shall set it before the Reader, and desire him to fall on without further Ceremony.
1734 H. Fielding Don Quixote in Eng. Ded. sig. A3v Wit, like Hunger, will be with..Difficulty restrained from falling on, where there is great Plenty..of Food.
1792 W. Borrow in M. F. G.-B. Giner & M. Montgomery Knaresborough Workhouse Daybk. (2003) 114 She fell sulky and said nothing but she fell on and got her work done.
1890 W. Morris in Eng. Illustr. Mag. July 765 The squall falleth on when the sun hath arisen.
 to fall out
1. intransitive. To drop or spill out.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > falling > fall [verb (intransitive)] > off, out, or away
atfalla1000
to fall awayc1300
to fall outc1300
c1300 Judas Iscariot (Harl.) l. 84 in F. J. Furnivall Early Eng. Poems & Lives Saints (1862) 109 So þat he smot him wiþ a ston..Þat al þe sculle to-daschte, þe brayn ful out þerate.
c1425 (c1400) Laud Troy-bk. l. 13408 (MED) Diomedes Ful wondirly the Troiens sles; He smot of hondis..He pared her chekes al aboute, That al here tethe fellen oute.
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 265 He bete on the basyn with the butte of his spere tylle the bottum felle oute.
1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry i. f. 39 The rootes standyng vpwarde that the seede may fall out.
1655 L. Price Ready Way to prevent Svdden Death 10 He..ript up her bowels and belly, insomuch that the child which was in her womb, fell out on the ground.
1703 W. Dampier Voy. New Holland i. 20 Tho' several of the Nails or Pegs of the Boat should by any shock fall out.
1801 W. Somerville Jrnl. 1 Dec. in Narr. Journeys Eastern Cape Frontier (1979) iv. 133 A very large She Wolf was shot, so old that her tusks had fallen out.
1844 C. Dickens Martin Chuzzlewit xxxiii. 397 A little roll of dollar-notes fell out upon the ground.
1944 Boys' Life June 22/3 It's too bad to reach into your pocket for your knife only to find that it fell out when you took your last tumble.
2015 J. A. Jordan Edible Memory 7 Family stories tell of Budder's curly brown hair..turning white and falling out in handfuls in the wake of Bobby's death.
2. intransitive. To have an argument or disagreement which causes a breaking off of friendly relations. [Compare classical Latin excidere to disagree (see escheat n.). Compare later to fall in 6a(a) at Phrasal verbs 1. Compare also sense 40a and the note under ‘Specific senses’ in the main etymology.]
a. With plural or collective subject, expressing mutual disagreement, as they fell out.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > dissent > quarrel or quarrelling > quarrel [verb (intransitive)]
threapc1175
disputea1225
thretec1400
varyc1450
fray1465
to fall out1470
to set (or fall) at variancec1522
quarrel1530
square1530
to break a straw1542
to be or to fall at (a) square1545
to fall at jar1552
cowl1556
tuilyie1565
jarl1580
snarl1597
to fall foul1600
to cast out1730
fisticuff1833
spat1848
cagmag1882
rag1889
to part brass-rags1898
hassle1949
blue1955
1470 J. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 559 Be-cause I wyll not delyuer Louell the euydence therfor we fyll owt.
1546 J. Heywood Dialogue Prouerbes Eng. Tongue ii. ix. sig. L Whan theues fall out, true men come to their good.
1637 J. Shirley Gamester 1 Wine made them fall out.
1654 E. Nicholas Papers (1892) II. 61 The Bp. of Derry and Sr Rich. Grenville are fallen extremely out.
1783 W. Cowper Let. 2 Feb. (1981) II. 103 Monarchs..fall out and are reconciled just like the meanest of their subjects.
1822 W. Hazlitt Table-talk II. vii. 148 Friends not unfrequently fall out and never meet again for some idle misunderstanding.
1879 M. J. Guest Lect. Hist. Eng. xvii. 159 The king and the archbishop soon fell out.
1919 P. G. Wodehouse Their Mutual Child i. vii. 83 How smoothly they had got on together! He could not recall a single occasion on which they had fallen out.
2000 I. Pattison Stranger here Myself (2001) iv. 168 Rab, let's be sensible, let's not you and me fall out over a woman.
b. With with indicating the other party to the disagreement, as she fell out with him.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > hatred > quarrel or falling out > fall out or quarrel [verb]
to fall out?1499
to set (or fall) at variancec1522
society > society and the community > dissent > quarrel or quarrelling > quarrel with [verb (transitive)]
vary1496
to fall out?1499
thwart1519
snarl1593
swagger1599
?1499 J. Skelton Bowge of Courte (de Worde) sig. Bij Fyrste pycke a quarell & fall oute with hym then.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 545/1 Fall nat out with your frendes for a thing of naught.
1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes f. 259 Pollio had aforetyme been angrye and foule out with Timagenes.
1656 F. Osborne Polit. Reflect. Govt. Turks 187 Falshood is fallen-out with for..Love of Truth.
1666 S. Pepys Diary 12 Aug. (1972) VII. 243 I took occasion to fall out with her, for buying a laced handkercher..without my leave.
1702 S. Parker tr. Cicero Five Bks. De Finibus ii. 73 We'll not fall out with him for the Confusedness of his Method.
1771 J. W. Fletcher tr. M. Luther in Second Check Antinom. iii. 65 So preach that those who do not fall out with their sins, may fall out with thee.
1838 R. F. Williams Shakespeare & his Friends xi. 136 This Sir Walter Raleigh hath fallen out with the great Earl of Essex.
1859 W. M. Thackeray Virginians iv So this good woman fell out with her neighbours.
1911 Med. World Mar. 102/1 If I don't agree with him about everything, I don't fall out with him about differences.
2004 Sugar Nov. 52/2 Send a letter to that friend you fell out with a year ago.
†3. intransitive. Military. To make a sally or sortie from a camp or fortified place. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > attack > action or state of siege or blockade > lay siege [verb (intransitive)] > sally
to fall out1535
breakc1540
sally1560
sail1583
sorta1600
sortie1899
1535 Bible (Coverdale) 2 Sam. xi. C The men of the cite fell out and foughte agaynst Ioab.
1601 tr. Newes from Ostend sig. B There are eighteene companies appoynted.., who daily falleth out vppon the ennemy, with other souldiers of the Towne.
1637 R. Monro Exped. Scots Regim. ii. 25 Major John Sinclaire..not having a hundred Musketiers within the Towne in all, neverthelesse fell out with fiftie..and skirmished bravely.
1683 tr. Full Acct. Battel City of Presburg 5 The Hungarians with a Troop fell out to Skirmish, and Advanced very near under us.
1710 R. Sibbald Hist. Fife & Kinross vii. 30 The Romans..rallied and fell out upon the Caledonians and gave them a fresh Onset.
4. intransitive.
†a. to fall out in: to begin (speaking), esp. suddenly or vehemently; to burst out with (an impassioned speech). Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > undertaking > beginning action or activity > begin or enter upon (an action) [verb (transitive)] > begin an action or fall to doing something
fangc888
goOE
fallc1175
to fall upon ——a1398
to take upa1400
fall?c1450
to fall out ina1555
get1751
a1555 H. Latimer Frutefull Serm. (1572) ii. f. 160v Zachary..fell out in praysing of God.
1568 E. Dering Sparing Restraint i. 19 He falleth out in a rage, that his Challenge was foolish, his Replie without learning, his arrogancie much, his Gospell false, his weakenes discouered, his modestie stained, and I wot not what.
1606 W. Arthur & H. Charteris Rollock's Lect. 1st & 2nd Epist. Paul to Thessalonians (1 Thess.) xi. 124 He fell out in a short exhortation, exhorting them to beare patientlie those afflictions and crosses that they suffer in this life.
1691 Presbyterian Inquisition 102 Always at these publick Disputes he falls out in such passions, when any thing is reasonably urged against him.
1723 R. Wodrow Analecta (1843) III. 88 He fell out in commending of Christ, going over all His precious titles and stiles about half-a-quarter or a quarter of a hour.
b. U.S. colloquial. To be overcome, as with emotion, shock, laughter, etc. Frequently with laughing or other present participle.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > passion > be or become affected with passion [verb (intransitive)] > be overwhelmed with strong emotion
sweltc1330
to bear away1584
to fall out1930
1930 Chicago Defender 29 Mar. 15/7 Clowns that will make you fall out laughing.
1944 C. Calloway New Hepsters Dict. at Fall out The cats fell out when he took that solo.
1973 R. Carter Sixteenth Road (2011) 307 The worst part of it was my wife: she fell out in the courtroom when the verdict was announced.
1996 A. Sharpton & A. Walton Go tell Pharaoh xi. 181 Every time I would go out, Dominique and Ashley would fall out crying, wailing ‘Daddy's gonna get killed.’
2015 A. Hobbs & K. E. Q. Miller Hittin' it out the Park 119 Eyes widened and sparkling with mischief, Amanda stared at Nick and fell out laughing.
5. intransitive.
a. To happen, occur, come to pass. Frequently with non-referential it as subject and clause as complement.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > causation > chance or causelessness > chance [verb (intransitive)] > come about by chance
alimpOE
fallc1175
fortunec1369
chance1393
hapa1398
to fall profitc1475
adventurec1540
to fall out1556
befall1591
befortunea1616
happen1833
random1921
1556 N. Grimald tr. Cicero Thre Bks. Duties i. f. 62v So it falles oute, that the accomepanieng, & common felowship of men farre surmountes the studie of knowledge.
1598 R. Grenewey tr. Tacitus Annales xii. x. 170 Vologeses thinking there had fell out iust occasion of inuading Armenia..assembleth his power.
1649 R. Baxter Saints Everlasting Rest (new ed.) iii. i. 274 If any thing fell out amiss.
1688 Lett. conc. Present St. Italy 101 It fell out to be the year of Jubily, 1650.
1744 J. Campbell Lives Admirals III. iii. 445 He heard, with great Regret, of the Disorders that had fallen out in the Spanish Court.
1770 J. Langhorne & W. Langhorne in tr. Plutarch Lives (1879) II. 380 (note) The death of this great mathematician fell out in the year of Rome five hundred and forty-two.
1830 E. Greswell Diss. upon Princ. & Arrangem. Harmony Gospels I. x. 380 At the time of the birth of Christ, in whatever year we may suppose it to have fallen out, the vernal equinox..may be said to have coincided with March 24.
1846 C. Dickens Dombey & Son (1848) vi. 50 Thus it fell out that Biler..sought unfrequented paths.
1967 J. Christopher White Mountains vi. 83 It fell out that things took a very different turn from anything we had envisaged.
2011 C. Cilano National Identities in Pakistan ii. 15 The rapidity with which these events fell out..confused and enraged ordinary Pakistanis.
b. With adverb (formerly also adjective or infinitive) as complement: to turn out in a specified way. Frequently in indefinite phrases with as, how, etc. (as as matters fall out, how things fall out).
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > causation > effect, result, or consequence > result [verb (intransitive)] > turn out
goOE
farec1230
to come to proofc1330
shape1338
afarec1380
achievea1393
falla1398
sort1477
succeed1541
lucka1547
to fall out1556
redound1586
to come off1590
light1612
takea1625
result1626
issue1665
to turn out1731
eventuate1787
to roll out1801
to come away1823
to work out1839
pan1865
1556 N. Grimald tr. Cicero Thre Bks. Duties i. f. 53 When the communication beginne to straye to other thinges, to these it be returned: yea howsoeuer the mater falles oute, that is in hand.
1570 T. Wilson in tr. Demosthenes 3 Orations 4 (margin) As things fall out, the common sort judge.
1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry i. f. 15v Such kinde of bargainyng..maketh his accomptes seeldome fall out iust.
1642 D. Rogers Naaman 369 If there fall out to be any defect therein.
1669 S. Sturmy Mariners Mag. 115 If the Division doth fall out even, without any over-plus.
1705 G. Stanhope Paraphr. Epist. & Gospels I. 7 When Matters so fall out that we cannot attend to Mercy and Sacrifice both.
1805 M. G. Lewis tr. J. H. D. Zschokke Bravo of Venice viii. 78 It seems inconceivable to me, how all this should have fallen out so untowardly!
1879 M. J. Guest Lect. Hist. Eng. xiv. 130 The chronicler tells how things fell out.
1925 Manch. Guardian 28 July 4/3 Things had fallen out more happily for him than he possibly could have expected.
1950 Scotsman 25 Dec. 4/1 In the latter part of the nineteenth century the hope of an unbroken peace was linked in the minds of many with the invincible progress of science. Events have fallen out far otherwise.
2005 M. Doody Myst. of Eleusis (2006) i. 3 Not wishing to awaken my guest, I lit no lamp. This was a useless precaution as matters fell out for someone was banging at our house door.
†c. to fall out upon: to result from. Cf. sense 53. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > causation > effect, result, or consequence > be caused by or result from [verb (transitive)]
comeeOE
followOE
suec1390
enda1400
ensuec1530
redound1565
to come on ——1568
to fall out upon1579
1579 T. North tr. Plutarch Liues 246 There were only a fewe olde men that spake against him, fearing least some mischief might fall out apon it.
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. ii. xv. 10 These straunge motions fall out upon many causes. The first is, by reason of those eccentrique circles or Epicycles in the Stars.
1602 N. Breton Wonders Worth Hearing sig. B3v You shall see what fell out vppon this wicked creatures curse.
1665 J. Spencer Disc. Vulgar Prophecies 88 Fatal events have fallen out upon vain prophecies.
†d. To come into existence. Obsolete. rare.
ΚΠ
1856 E. B. Browning Aurora Leigh v. 226 Wolff's an atheist; And if the Iliad fell out, as he says, By mere fortuitous concourse of old songs, We'll guess as much, too, for the universe.
e. To follow logically or naturally from the specified theory, facts, etc. Cf. to fall out of —— 4 at Phrasal verbs 2.
ΚΠ
1984 J. Rubach Cyclic & Lexical Phonology vi. 182 The analysis falls out from the rules which are necessary in the grammar of Polish.
1993 W. Hodges Model Theory 693 This now falls out immediately from a result of pure group theory.
2010 G. Goodall in K. Arregi et al. Romance Linguistics 2008 233 The facts fall out from the interplay of straightforward properties of the syntax..with straightforward properties of the processor.
6.
a. intransitive. Military. To come out of formation; to leave one's place in a military formation or on parade. Also in imperative as a command. Cf. to fall in 9a(a) at Phrasal verbs 1.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military operations > distribution of troops > formation > form or reform [verb (intransitive)] > fall into line > fall out of line or rank
outrayc1330
disrange1485
disarray1523
disorder1523
straggle?1530
square1583
disrank1606
to fall out1623
1623 Instr. Musters & Armes sig. A4 The Rankes (which before did double) falling out againe into their first places, come iust to the distance of their open Order of sixe foote.
1786 Gen. Regulations & Orders His Majesty's Forces 32 After They have passed by the Reviewing General, they are to fall out, and form in a single Rank opposite to Him, upon the Left Flank of the Battalion.
1844 Queen's Regulations & Orders Army 180 To bring up any Man who may have fallen out.
1890 Standard 7 Aug. 5/7 Some of the men were obliged to fall out from fatigue.
1907 in Affray at Brownsville: Hearings Comm. Mil. Affairs U.S. Senate (1908) (60th Congr., 1st Sess. Senate Doc. 402, Pt. 5) II. 947 Q. What commands did you hear him give?—A. ‘Fall out, you men, and get your arms.’
1987 G. Linderman Embattled Courage (1989) ii. viii. 166 Soldiers without shoes also fell out, and other straggling could be traced to the weakness of the body..rather than the weakness of the will.
2011 T. Burke Cold War Soldier x. 139 Private Burke, stand fast. Remainder, fall out!
b. transitive. To command (a soldier) to come out of a formation.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military operations > distribution of troops > formation > form (line, column, etc.) [verb (transitive)] > close up (ranks or files) > take (soldier) out of rank
to fall out1859
1859 Jrnl. Corps Royal Engineers i. 279 After an inspection of the ranks, the artificers for the service of the park, and the store men, were fallen out; the others were then detailed to go on escort [etc.].
1923 R. Kipling Irish Guards in Great War I. 24 A newly appointed platoon-officer, when he had admonished them officially, fell them out.
2012 W. Cohu Wolf Pit (2013) xiii. 241 At his passing-out parade, he was fallen out as the bugler.
7. intransitive. U.S. slang (chiefly in African-American usage). To lose consciousness, to faint. Also: to fall asleep.
ΚΠ
1884 L. W. Baldwin Yankee School-teacher in Virginia 112 Two of the deacons lift Aunt Molly and bear her to a bench by the rear door, where awaiting sisters fan her, and wipe her forehead, and watch her complete recovery. Aunt Molly has ‘fallen out’.
1936 R. Wright in Amer. Caravan 5 154 ‘Whuts the matter!’ ‘A woman fell out! Fainted, Ah reckon.’
1989 T. McMillan Disappearing Acts iv. 71 I ate, sipped some more, then fell out. When I woke up, I heard a organ and somebody saying, ‘Let us give thanks to our Lord’.
2003 ‘Zane’ Nervous ix. 55 I didn't want to get home, rip off the plastic, and fall out from the stench.
 to fall over
1. intransitive.
a. To topple, tumble, or keel over.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > falling > fall [verb (intransitive)] > topple over
welt13..
tiltc1390
overfalla1400
waltc1400
tirvec1425
top over tervea1450
overtumble1487
overwelta1522
to fall over1541
top1545
topple1600
tramble1609
tope1796
tottle1830
overtopple1855
whemmel1895
pitch-pole1896
1541 R. Whitford Dyuers Holy Instrucyons & Teachynges vii. f. 8 When he had set downe ye pot vpon the gronde (whyle he couered ye founteyne) the pot fell ouer.
1579 J. Frampton tr. B. de Escalante Disc. Nauigation iv. f. 9 In those Seas are many leuantes which are Eastsoutheast and Southeast windes, that doeth cause them to fal ouer.
1607 G. Markham Cavelarice iii. 61 Hold your horse somwhat straight.., least too much hast shold make him stumble & fal ouer.
1694 Acct. Several Late Voy. (1711) ii. 32 The Waves..fall over with dashing and foaming.
1795 Gentleman's Mag. Sept. 778/1 She [sc. the corvette] struck on the Roenna, and soon after filled and fell over.
1820 W. Scoresby Acct. Arctic Regions I. 466 The moment life is extinct, it [sc. a whale] always falls over on its side.
1867 Rep. Select Comm. Fire Protection 222/1 in Parl. Papers (H.C. 471) X. 1 The candle was placed on a piece of tallow..and it fell over.
1952 Observer 26 Oct. 5/2 Detergent-packets..almost always fall over and spill.
2009 Financial Times 29 Jan. 7/1 The streets are still full of important-looking people, falling over in the snow.
b. to fall over backwards (also backward): to make every effort to do or achieve something, esp. to be fair or helpful; = to bend over backwards at backwards adv.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > effort or exertion > exert oneself or make an effort [verb (intransitive)] > make a great effort
to move (also stir) heaven and earth1580
to swelt one's heart1584
to sweat blood1911
to bust (also rupture) a gut1912
to fall over backwards1932
to bust (also break) one's balls1968
1932 Washington Post 21 Aug. 14/5 The galleries fall over backwards to heap adulation on the players.
1966 Listener 11 Aug. 190/1 In the system of trial is it correct to say, as many people say, that we fall over backwards to protect the guilty?
1972 Jrnl. Inquirer (Connecticut) 2 Oct. 4/3 The Enfield zoning board has been insensitive to small businessmen while falling over backward for the malls.
2002 Guardian 5 Dec. 4/2 We have fallen over backwards to be as helpful as we can.
c. Computing. Of hardware or software: to stop working suddenly; to crash (crash v. 6c).
ΚΠ
1975 P. A. Enslow in Special Symp. Adv. Hybrid Computing (IEEE Computer Society) 170/1 It is a characteristic of the system that, when it does ‘fall over’, it does so in a consistent..manner.
1982 A. Smith APL, Design Handbk. for Commerc. Syst. ii. 10 He doesn't..mind too much if the system falls over the first time someone enters something unexpected.
1993 Computer Weekly 42/6 There then follows the stage where you expect a product to fall over practically every day and would not think of using it to run a business.
2004 Independent (Compact ed.) 25 Feb. (Review section) 10/2 In computing terms, e-mail ‘scales’ marvellously well, because computers can send increasing amounts of it without abruptly falling over.
†2. intransitive. To defect to. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > duty or obligation > recognition of duty > undutifulness > disloyalty > cast off allegiance or defect [verb (intransitive)]
recede1520
defect1596
degenerate1602
to fall overa1616
to go over the wall1917
a1616 W. Shakespeare King John (1623) iii. i. 53 Dost thou now fall ouer to my foes? View more context for this quotation
1658 tr. J. Ussher Ann. World 201 The Athenians, Lacedemonians and Thebans, were all fallen over to the King of Persia's side.
1689 E. Bohun tr. J. Sleidane Gen. Hist. Reformation of Church xxi. 492 Alexander..fell over to their party.
3. intransitive. Scottish. To fall asleep.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sleeping and waking > sleep > [verb (intransitive)] > go to sleep or fall asleep
to fall, lull, lay (bring obs.) asleepOE
to fall overa1752
to go off1813
to drop off1820
to fall off1822
to get off to sleep1837
to fall off1862
tope1863
sleepy-baw1907
to go out1928
to zizz off1962
a1752 R. Erskine Serm. (1777) I. xii. 400 Like a man in a sound sleep, he may be jogged up a little, and so open his eyes, as it were, a little; yet he is incapable of discerning duty, for he falls over again.
1768 A. Ross Fortunate Shepherdess i. 18 She'd start an' fumper, an' fa' o'er again.
1823 J. G. Lockhart Reginald Dalton I. ii. v. 286 Ellen Hesketh..wakened me—I had just fallen over.
1870 Glasgow Med. Jrnl. 2 215 Pulse, 102; considerably improved. Has just fallen over. Aspect entirely that of a person in deep natural sleep. Snores.
1922 J. Inkster Mansie's Röd 133 I fell ower, an' da first 'at waukened me wis noise.
2012 Herald (Glasgow) (Nexis) 31 Jan. 10 Sleep is the body's natural recovery state, but it is often difficult to fall over in the hours directly after a demanding sporting performance.
 to fall through
†1. intransitive. North American. Of a person: to fail (in an undertaking). Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1758 B. Franklin Let. 17 Feb. in Papers (1963) VII. 375 They have reason therefore to pray for some Success this Year to strengthen his Hands and his Interests..for if he should fall through, it is thought by many that his Place could scarcely be supplied.
1778 in Cal. Virginia State Papers (1875) I. 311 If he should fall through in that maneuver, he is determined to..harrass her parties.
1781 G. R. Clark in J. Sparks Corr. Amer. Revol. (1853) III. 324 Should we fall through in our present plans..the Consequences will be fatal.
2. intransitive. Originally North American. Of a plan, agreement, project, etc.: to fail to be carried through; to come to nothing.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > failure or lack of success > fail or be unsuccessful [verb (intransitive)] > collapse or come to nothing
forworthc1000
folda1250
quailc1450
fruster?a1513
to come to nothing1523
to give out?1523
to fall to the ground?1526
quealc1530
to come to, end in, vanish into, smoke1604
intercide1637
to fall to dirt1670
to go off1740
to fall through1770
to fall apart1833
collapse1838
to run into the sand (also, now less commonly, sands)1872
to blow up1934
to blow out1939
1770 G. Washington Let. 20 July in Writings (1935) III. 18 I am not without my doubts of your Schemes falling through, however sanguine your first hopes may be.
1838 Spirit of Times 28 July 189/2 The whole affair appears to have fallen through for some unaccountable reason.
1884 Manch. Examiner 22 May 5/1 The proposed amalgamation..fell through.
1953 H. Caldwell tr. M. de Assis Dom Casmurro xxxi. 63 She decided to study English with an old professor who was a friend and whist crony of her father; but it fell through.
2009 Financial Times 16 May (How to spend it Mag.) 61/4 Melanie..called to tell me this house was for sale because a previous deal had fallen through.
 to fall to
†1. intransitive. To happen, occur. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > occurrence > [verb (intransitive)]
becomec888
i-tidec888
falleOE
ywortheOE
i-limp975
belimpOE
i-timeOE
worthOE
tidea1131
goa1200
arearc1275
syec1275
betide1297
fere1297
risea1350
to come aboutc1350
overcomea1382
passa1393
comea1400
to come in (also to, on, etc.) placea1400
eschew?a1400
chevec1400
shapec1400
hold1462
to come (also go) to pass1481
proceed?1518
occura1522
bechance1527
overpass1530
sorta1535
succeed1537
adventurec1540
to fall toc1540
success1545
to fall forth1569
fadge1573
beword?1577
to fall in1578
happen1580
event1590
arrive1600
offer1601
grow1614
fudge1615
incur1626
evene1654
obvene1654
to take place1770
transpire1775
to go on1873
to show up1879
materialize1885
break1914
cook1932
to go down1946
c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 43v Noman..ferd is for fortune till it falle to.
2. intransitive. Of a door, gate, etc.: to close, become closed. Cf. to adv. 4.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > closed or shut condition > become closed or shut [verb (intransitive)] > become closed (of a door, window, etc.)
shut1470
steeka1500
to fall to1565
sneck1871
to shut to1912
1565 J. Hall Anat. 3rd Treat. iv. vi. 83 in tr. Lanfranc Most Excellent Woorke Chirurg. A certayne lyttle couerynge like a flappe,..whyche by the fallynge course of vrine, is driuen open at the entrance therof into the bladder: but after wardes fallynge to agayne, it..closelye shutteth the entrance.
1593 G. Peele Honovr of Garter sig. D Fames great double doores fell to and shutt.
1654 W. Jenkyn Expos. Jude: 2nd Pt. 673 An unskilful serving-man, who opens the gate for his Master, but lets it fall to again, so as that he himselfe is hindred from following.
1790 J. Macdonald Trav. Europe, Asia, & Afr. 337 The person comes in and walks up stairs, then the door falls to again.
1853 G. S. Raymond in L. C. Moulton Waverley Garland 208 The sound of the gate falling to against the post, as we entered, aroused the family.
1889 ‘M. Maartens’ Sin of Joost Avelingh I. i. x. 130 The oaken door fell to behind them.
1935 Virginia Q. Rev. 11 297 The old plowshares..chinked as the gate fell to.
2010 D. Nicholas Something Red (2013) 263 He stepped through into the corridor, letting the thick cloth fall to behind him.
3. intransitive. To begin doing something, esp. in a purposeful or energetic manner; spec. (a) to begin fighting; to come to blows; (b) to begin eating voraciously or with relish. Cf. to adv. 6, to fall to —— 2 at Phrasal verbs 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > undertaking > beginning action or activity > begin action or activity [verb (intransitive)]
beginc1000
onginOE
aginOE
ginc1175
to go tillc1175
to take onc1175
comsea1225
fanga1225
to go toc1275
i-ginc1275
commencec1320
to get (also get down, go, go adown, set, set down) to workc1400
to lay to one's hand(sc1405
to put to one's hand (also hands)c1410
to set toc1425
standa1450
to make to1563
to fall to it1570
to start out1574
to fall to1577
to run upon ——1581
to break off1591
start1607
to set in1608
to set to one's hands1611
to put toa1616
to fall ona1625
in1633
to fall aboard1642
auspicatea1670
to set out1693
to enter (into) the fray1698
open1708
to start in1737
inchoate1767
to set off1774
go1780
start1785
to on with1843
to kick off1857
to start in on1859
to steam up1860
to push off1909
to cut loose1923
to get (also put) the show on the road1941
to get one's arse in gear1948
society > society and the community > dissent > fighting > fight [verb (intransitive)] > come to blows
to come to strokes1297
to fall in hand (also hands)1448
to fall to1577
come (or go), fall, get to blows1594
to go or fall to cuffsa1616
to fall, get, go to loggerheads1671
the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > eat [verb (intransitive)] > begin to eat
to fall aboard1498
to fall to1577
to stand toa1616
win to1816
to get to1827
to dig in1912
1577 R. Holinshed Chron. II. 1451/2 The Englishmen fell to and replyed with strokes.
1597 W. Shakespeare Richard II v. v. 98 My Lord, wilt please you to fall to ? View more context for this quotation
1636 J. Carpenter tr. Ovid Remedy of Love ii. 29 If thou art hungry, thou wilt not refraine When meat's before thee, to fall to againe.
1654 Ex Ungue Leonem sig. C3v A while she stops..: Then in a trice falls to again, renews Her itching wriglings.
1677 A. Yarranton England's Improvem. 101 Let us fall too, and consider of some good things to advance the Woollen Manufactures.
1704 J. Swift Tale of Tub iv. 105 Come Brothers, said Peter, fall to, and spare not; here is excellent good Mutton.
1752 London Mag. Feb. 89/1 They renewed their work, and in the afternoon, just as they were going to leave off, they heard a hollow noise, like a groan, from under a part of the snow. This made them fall to with great vigour.
1842 C. Dickens Amer. Notes I. ii. 39 We fall to upon these dainties.
1865 F. Parkman Champlain iii, in Pioneers of France in New World 223 I have seen our curé and the minister..fall to with their fists on questions of faith.
1886 E. Whitaker Tip Cat (new ed.) xv. 199 Dick, finding a spare rake, fell to and worked with a will.
1957 National Jewish Post 25 Jan. (Indiana ed.) 12/2 Siler, unable to decide on a winner, ordered five rounds more. Nothing loath, the lads fell to again.
2001 D. Pirie Patient's Eyes (2007) 107 I needed no encouragement and fell to with a vengeance... It seemed like weeks since I had eaten.
 to fall together
1. intransitive. Of the eyes: to close, esp. because of tiredness. Now Newfoundland.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > external parts of body > head > face > eye > [verb (intransitive)] > move eyes > close eyes > of eyes
wink1340
to fall togethera1400
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 16762 + 75 To-geder fell his eghen.
1757 tr. J. H. Winkler Elements Nat. Philos. II. 154 So spent and fatigued, that he and his men marched on as it were dreaming, as in going their eyes constantly fell together.
1860 J. W. Carlyle Let. 21 Aug. in Coll. Lett. T. & J. W. Carlyle (2008) XXXVI. 188 My eyes are falling together (would yours were, for the like reason), I am so sleepy.
1887 T. Hardy Woodlanders I. vi. 122 Her eyes fell together with their own heaviness, and she slept.
1966 in Dict. Newfoundland Eng. (1982) 168/2 John was leaning on the table and his eyes were falling together because of sleep.
2004 M. Winter Big Why 130 I'm so tired my eyes are falling together.
†2. intransitive. to fall together by the ears: to be at variance, fall out; to fight. Cf. ear n.1 Phrases 1c(d). Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1531 Bp. W. Barlow Dyaloge Lutheran Faccyons sig. i.3v Then was it a wonder to se what murmuracyon, grudge, and rumour of sedycyon was amonge the people, not without lykelyhed of fallynge togyther by the eares & insurreccyon agaynste theyr prynce.
1610 R. Knolles Gen. Hist. Turkes (ed. 2) 1184 They fell together by the ears about the matter, some taking part with the old General, and some with the new.
1693 W. Robertson Phraseologia generalis (new ed.) 329 They did chide and brawl so long till they fell together by the ears.
1759 J. Adams Diary in Diary & Autobiogr. (1961) 116 Would they fall together by the Ears for the Mastery as two Herds of strange Cattle do?
1862 J. R. Lowell Biglow Papers 2nd Ser. 42 'T would put the clock back all o' fifty years, Ef they should fall together by the ears.
3. intransitive. Of a number of parts or elements: to merge or combine; to come together.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > linguistics > study of speech sound > speech sound > sound changes > [verb (intransitive)] > assimilate or fall together
to fall together1565
assimilate1854
1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus at Concurro Concurrere, Confluere, to come or fall together. Concurrit materia, the matter falleth or gathereth together in aboundance.
1586 W. Webbe Disc. Eng. Poetrie sig. F.iiii The fourth sort containeth in eche staffe manie vnequall verses, but most sweetelie falling together.
1662 J. Chandler tr. J. B. van Helmont Oriatrike 191 The Fume of Minerals..& an Arsenical poyson, have become Sunonymalls or things of one name: to wit, the Arsenick, and smoakie vapour, and smoak of Metalls fall together or agree in one.
1702 R. Stafford Word in Season 69 They [sc. two senses of Holiness] do indeed both fall together into one.
1855 Jrnl. Amer. Oriental Soc. 5 204 The independent and enclitic svarita would fall together, and have the same value.
1869 J. W. Gerard Titles to Real Estate vi. 62 When a greater estate and a less fall together in one person, the latter is merged in the former.
1959 A. Campbell Old Eng. Gram. 153 æ, e, and i fell together in a sound written e in unaccented syllables.
2003 Campaign (Electronic ed.) 12 Dec. 8 The notion that they will instantly fall together into a new sales company is quite frankly nonsensical.
4. intransitive. To collapse inwards; to cave in (literal and figurative). Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > extension in space > reduction in size or extent > become reduced in size or extent [verb (intransitive)] > contract or shrink
shrimc1000
shrinkc1275
to draw togethera1398
gather1577
coact1578
to fall together1583
draw1615
contract1648
to run up1838
to take up1860
1583 P. Barrough Methode of Phisicke iii. xliv. 136 When the abundance of vrine is sent out, then the bladder shrinketh vp and falleth together.
1654 R. Whitlock Ζωοτομία 75 He telleth him..that the Brain is fallen close together.
1698 T. Emes Dialogue Alkali & Acid 53 The Thorax is again contracted, the Air pressed out, and the Lungs fall together.
1724 J. Crawford Cursus Medicinæ i. xxiv. 211 The finest vessels being emptied and flagged, for a time, fall together.
1794 J. Billingsley Gen. View Agric. Somerset 127 Had the drain been made less wide at the top..it would have collapsed, or fallen together.
1863 Harper's New Monthly Mag. Oct. 625/1 Fast as entrance was half effected it fell together, and the wreck left them double work.
1871 Detroit Rev. Med. & Pharmacy 6 397 The muscular structure of the heart is softened, falls together as a wet rag, and is easily ploughed up by the finger.
1968 Spectator 15 Mar. 352/2 Organisation as such has been allowed entirely to fall together and collapse.
PV2. With prepositions in specialized senses.See also Phrases 1. to fall aboard——
1. intransitive.
a. Of a ship or boat: to come very close to or collide with the side of (another ship or boat), either deliberately as a means of attack or (in later use esp.) accidentally. Cf. to fall aboard 1b at Phrasal verbs 1. Now archaic.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > action or motion of vessel > [verb (intransitive)] > come or be alongside another ship
to fall on board (of)1508
to fall aboard——1569
yardarm and yardarm1829
1569 J. Hawkins True Declar. Troublesome Voy. sig. B.iii The greate shippe..immediatlye fell aborde ye minion.
1625 S. Purchas Pilgrimes IV. vi. i. 1145 Sir Robert Crosse..came so neere, that becalming his sayles he vnwillingly fell aboard the Carricke, which hauing lashed her fast by the Strowdes, sayled away with her by her side.
1744 J. Campbell Lives Admirals IV. 109 A Ship of 70 Guns..came ranging along the Larboard-side of The Assurance, and fell aboard her, so that they engaged Yard-arm and Yard-arm.
1795 Ann. Reg. 1791 (Rivington ed.) i. 187/2 They fell aboard a Swedish line of battle ship.
1868 W. H. D. Adams Famous Ships Brit. Navy (new ed.) vi. 95 As the galleon had fallen aboard the Centurion, the destruction of both vessels seemed inevitable.
1919 R. Kipling in Times 23 Oct. 6/4 Goblin..swerved again; Shaitan astern tried to clear her, and the two fell aboard each other, Goblin's bows deep in Shaitan's fore bridge.
2001 J. Stockwin Kydd 59 Christ save us!.. We're falling aboard Barfleur!
†b. In extended use: to attack (a person) physically or verbally. Also (in quot. 1593): to become involved or entangled with. Cf. to fall aboard 1c at Phrasal verbs 1. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > hostile action or attack > make an attack upon [verb (transitive)]
assail?c1225
to set on ——c1290
saila1300
to turn one's handc1325
lashc1330
to set against ——c1330
impugnc1384
offendc1385
weighc1386
checka1400
to lay at?a1400
havec1400
to set at ——c1430
fraya1440
rehetea1450
besail1460
fray1465
tuilyie1487
assaulta1500
enterprise?1510
invade1513
sturt1513
attempt1546
lay1580
tilt1589
to fall aboard——1593
yoke1596
to let into1598
to fall foul1602
attack1655
do1780
to go in at1812
to pitch into ——1823
tackle1828
vampire1832
bushwhack1837
to go for ——1838
take1864
pile1867
volcano1867
to set about ——1879
vampirize1888
to get stuck into1910
to take to ——1911
weigh1941
rugby-tackle1967
rugger-tackle1967
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > hostile action or attack > make an attack upon [verb (transitive)] > attack with hostile words or measures
fangc1320
hurtlec1374
impugnc1384
weighc1386
to fall upon ——a1398
to start on ——a1398
oppugn?1435
to lay to, untoa1500
onseta1522
wipe1523
to set against ——1542
to fall aboard——1593
aggress1596
to fall foul1602
attack1613
appugn1615
to set upon ——1639
to fall on ——1641
to lay home, hard, hardly to1650
tack1720
bombard1766
savage1796
to pitch into ——1823
to begin upon a personc1825
bulldog1842
to down on (also upon)a1848
to set at ——1849
to start on ——a1851
to start in on1859
set on at or to1862
to let into1872
to go for ——1890
swash1890
slog1891
to get at ——1893
tee1955
the world > action or operation > doing > activity or occupation > occupy or engage (a person) [verb (transitive)] > engage in or busy oneself about > become engaged in or occupied with
to fall aboard——1593
to get into ——1665
to get up to1864
1593 T. Nashe Christs Teares f. 59v Church-rites hee supposeth not amisse to busie the Common-peoples heads with, that they shold not fall aboard [1613 fal aboard with] Princes matters.
1609 R. Parsons Quiet Reckoning viii. 607 [He] thought best to fall aboard the relator, & to lay the fault on him.
1683 Dutch Rogue 172 Olympia..found a great hole in the Cash, falls aboard her husband and called him a thousand Rogues.
1700 E. Ward Metamorphos'd Beau 16 The Intrigue and Scuffle being blaz'd over all the House, and his Mistress also ridicul'd, he was resolved to fall aboard him the first opportunity.
1760 Great News from Hell 24 I fell aboard him, and exercised the Faculties of my Teeth and Nails upon him.
1874 Trewman's Exeter Flying Post 15 July 3/4 Warren fell aboard him, kicked and struck him.
†2. intransitive. To begin eating (something) voraciously or with relish. Cf. to fall aboard 2a at Phrasal verbs 1. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > processes or manners of eating > eat via specific process [verb (intransitive)] > eat voraciously
gorge13..
franch1519
to be worried, or worry oneself, ona1529
raven1530
frank1596
tire1599
to fall aboard——1603
ravenize1677
mop1811
the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > processes or manners of eating > eat via specific process [verb (intransitive)] > eat heartily
to lay in1579
to fall aboard——1603
to eat (also work) like a horse1707
to play a good knife and fork1809
tuck1810
stoke1882
to mug up1897
1603 tr. Batchelars Banquet xv. sig. Kii She hath ready to or three pottles of wine, & a few iunkets, which they presently fal aboord.
1625 R. Withers tr. O. Bon Grand Signors Seraglio ix, in S. Purchas Pilgrimes II. ix. xv. 1599 He vseth no Salt at his Table, neither hath he any Antipasto; but immediately fals aboord the flesh.
1697 J. Ray in Philos. Trans. 1695–7 (Royal Soc.) 19 636 The Horse again refused the Grass, and fell aboard the Hemlock, greedily eating it up.
1705 P. Motteux et al. tr. M. de Cervantes Hist. Don Quixote (ed. 2) II. iv. 52 They all stopp'd at the Fountain, and fell aboard the Curate's Provision.
1776 C. Anstey Election Ball (ed. 2) ii. 43 As to eating..I'll vall aboard zomething that makes a Resistance.
 to fall across ——
intransitive. To meet or encounter by chance; to happen on, come across. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > occurrence > [verb (transitive)] > encounter or experience
ymetec893
findeOE
meetOE
counterc1325
overtakec1390
limp?a1400
tidea1400
runa1450
to fall with ——?c1475
onlightc1475
recounterc1485
recount1490
to come in witha1500
occur1531
to fall on ——1533
to fall upon ——1533
beshine1574
rencontre1582
entertain1591
cope with1594
happen1594
tocome1596
incur1599
forgather1600
thwart1601
to fall in1675
cross1684
to come across ——1738
to cross upon (or on)1748
to fall across ——1760
experience1786
to drop in1802
encounter1814
to come upon ——1820
to run against ——1821
to come in contact with1862
to run across ——1864
to knock or run up against1886
to knock up against1887
1760 D. Gordon Gen. Hist. Royal & Noble Personages III. 162 Six days afterwards they fell across the bay of Alchaser, or Biscay, and at last bore full into it.
1835 J. H. Newman Let. 14 Aug. in Lett. & Diaries (1981) V. 124 I should like to fall across a Romanist to get into their system; but I do not anticipate any great satisfaction from getting intimate with him.
a1885 ‘H. Conway’ Living or Dead (1886) I. v. 86 I happened to fall across Estmere the next day in the park.
1906 Leather Trades' Rev. 14 Mar. 173/1 I well remember when on the road it was my fortune to fall across one of these [currier's shops].
2005 S. Lee & S. Miller Crystal Soldier xvi.164 One can's carrying generic Light-goods for the entertainment of any port cops we happen to fall across.
 to fall behind ——
†1. intransitive. To come behind (a person or group) in order to make an attack. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
c1475 tr. C. de Pisan Livre du Corps de Policie (Cambr.) (1977) 160 Whan that the Romayns wer on honde in the bataille, they fayer pulled out their swerdes and felle byhynde theim and cutte their leggis and killed moche people.
1511 H. Watson tr. Noble Hist. King Ponthus (new ed.) sig. N.v He..set in a valey foure thousande men of armes that whan the kynge sholde come out of the towne for to fyght, they sholde fall behynde hym that he sholde not withdrawe agayne to ye towne.
2. intransitive. To move or walk behind (a person or group), esp. as an act of deference; to drop deliberately to the rear of (a group).
ΚΠ
1606 N. Breton Choice, Chance, & Change sig. G4 I met her at the corner of a walke with her waiting gentlewoman, who knowing her duty, and loath to displease, fell a little behinde her.
1616 J. Bingham in tr. Ælian Tactiks xxix. 137 The euen files countermarch, and fall behind the reare of the odde.
a1640 P. Massinger & J. Fletcher Very Woman iii. 55 in P. Massinger 3 New Playes (1655) Come hither Ladies, carry your bodies swimming; Do your three duties then, then fall behinde me.
1789 J. Moore Zeluco II. lxxxv. 344 They seemed conversing together when Zeluco first saw them; but as he approached, one fell behind the other, and a little to one side.
1814 W. Scott Waverley III. x. 127 Incensed at the domineering and unreasonable conduct of his late friend, he fell behind the column, and mounted his horse. View more context for this quotation
1878 Christian Union 16 Oct. 306/2 A trio of young girls come along in solid line and meet an elderly gentleman. They make no pretense of falling behind each other, and he is forced to plunge into the snow to allow them to pass.
1926 Boys' Life July 17/3 Big Jean..watched his opportunity and fell behind his companions to wait for Alain.
2006 V. C. Andrews Girl in Shadows ii. 44 I fell behind him as we entered the dining room.
3. intransitive. To move more slowly or make less progress than; to fail to keep up with, lag behind (literal and figurative).
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > rate of motion > move at specific rate [verb (transitive)] > lag or fall behind
lag1530
to fall behind ——a1626
a1626 L. Andrewes XCVI Serm. (1629) 225 If not keepe pace with the ancient Church, yet no to give them over cleane; not to fall behind them so farr, till we lose the sight of them quite.
1655 S. Ford Spirit of Bondage & Adoption ii. xliv. 502 Some children..over-top all their contemporaries; but a while after a fit of sicknesse pulls them down; and they fall as much behind them.
1759 A. Murphy tr. Voltaire in Orphan of China (ed. 2) 89 We fall behind other nations in point of taste and elegance of composition.
1824 Boston Jrnl. Philos. & Arts 1 361 Tello gradually fell behind even me—for though accustomed to travelling in the Puna, he had against him the weight of fifty-four years spent in extreme hardship.
1890 T. F. Tout in F. Y. Powell et al. Hist. Eng. III. 12 Dutch commerce was now falling behind that of England.
1939 Papers conc. Treatm. German Nationals 33 in Parl. Papers (Cmd. 6120) XXVII. 429 The S.S. guard would..force the prisoner to carry his load. Naturally the unhappy man would fall behind his companions.
1990 B. Bettelheim Recoll. & Refl. i. 9 She marched at such a brisk pace that her companions fell behind her in exhaustion.
2010 Financial Times 5 Mar. 4/7 White British schoolboys from working-class families are falling behind their classmates at a greater rate than previously thought.
 to fall down ——
intransitive. To sail or drift down (a river, estuary, etc.). Now rare.For possible later evidence see note at to fall down 4 at Phrasal verbs 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > descend [verb (transitive)]
avalea1513
descend1536
dismount1589
to fall down ——1600
sink1805
society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > direct or manage ship [verb (transitive)] > set a ship's course > descend a river
to fall down ——1600
1600 T. Masham in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations (new ed.) III. 694 Finding it ouer hard to passe the falles, wee fell downe the riuer againe.
a1661 Earl of Monmouth tr. P. G. Capriata Hist. Wars Italy (1663) xiv. 570 Their Boats, which falling down the stream, came happily to the Shore at Valenza.
1761–2 D. Hume Hist. Eng. (1806) V. lxxi. 296 The army quickly fell down the rivers and canals from Nimeguen.
1790 R. Beatson Naval & Mil. Mem. II. 310 They fell down the river, till they came up to the seven Dutch ships.
1815 Edinb. Encycl. (1830) IX. 233/1 Alexander sailed to Pallacopas, falling down the canal into the Bahr Nejiff.
1865 W. Howitt Hist. Discov. Austral. I. xiii. 214 Whilst the boats fell down the stream, the horses, also loaded, proceeded along the banks.
1907 J. B. Dunn Hist. Nansemond County 50 They drifted on the flats but were towed off by the Stepping Stones, and fell down the river.
 to fall for ——
1. intransitive. colloquial (originally U.S.).
a. To allow oneself to be deceived by, to be taken in by (a lie, trick, etc.).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > cheating, fraud > act fraudulently, cheat [verb (intransitive)] > be deceived
to get a geck1568
rise1863
to fall for ——1902
1902 Washington Post 26 Oct. 19/3 The mayor fell for it [sc. a scheme].
1929 J. J. Farjeon Underground xxi. 139 I held out my pocket-case, and said I'd found it on the floor of the hotel. ‘Is it yours?’ I asked. To my surprise, he fell for it beautifully.
1952 L. A. G. Strong Darling Tom xvii. 138 So he had fallen for it, had he, the big sap?
1975 P. White Let. 22 Dec. (1994) xiii. 466 Fancy falling for all that stuff Whitlam tells you.
2015 Heat 28 Mar. 82/2 Harry..has been very naïve, falling for the con sprung by Nancy.
b. To be charmed or captivated by; esp. to fall in love with.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > love > amorous love > be in love or infatuated with [verb (transitive)]
loveOE
paramoura1500
to love with1597
to be sweet on (upon)1740
to be cracked about or on1874
to be stuck on1878
mash1881
to be shook on1888
to go dingy on1904
to fall for ——1906
lurve1908
to have or get a crush on1913
to be soppy on1918
to have a pash for (or on)1922
to have a case on1928
to be queer for1941
1906 National Police Gaz. (U.S.) 9 June 3/4 Like all the rest of male humanity [he] fell for her and he's sorry, you bet.
1916 H. L. Wilson Somewhere in Red Gap v. 186 Even Mis' Judge Ballard fell for it [sc. a costume], though hers were made of severe black with a long coat.
1926 J. Galsworthy Silver Spoon ii. viii ‘He's fallen for Marjorie Ferrar.’ ‘“Fallen for her”?’ said Soames. ‘What an expression!’ ‘Yes, dear; it's American.’
1958 Times Lit. Suppl. 12 Sept. 509/4 He meets and falls for a twenty-year-old dipsomaniac.
1991 ‘J. Gash’ Great Calif. Game (1992) xviii. 167 There was a hand-shaped left-handed tea-caddy spoon I particularly fell for.
2013 N. Farrant After Iris (2015) 94 ‘You've got a crush on him,’ said Flora... ‘You're falling for him big time.’
2. intransitive. Chiefly British. To conceive, become pregnant with (a child). Cf. sense 49.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > biology > biological processes > procreation or reproduction > conception > conceive [verb (intransitive)]
trima1325
conceivec1375
greatenc1390
to fall with child (also bairn)a1464
impregnate1711
start1846
catch1858
fall1891
click1936
to be caught out1957
to fall for ——1957
big1982
1957 Times 10 Dec. 6/6 When Daddy knew I fall for baby he sent me to England with my sister to look after me.
1969 Guardian 15 Sept. 7/3 Her Mum..met Janet's Dad and fell for Janet.
1972 Evening Post (Port Elizabeth) 4 Nov. 8 I'd hoped to fall for a baby as soon as we got married.
2005 Daily Record (Glasgow) (Nexis) 8 Aug. 26 She had an abortion, but now my mum thinks I'm going to fall for a baby as well.
 to fall from ——
1. intransitive. Of a quality, attribute, etc.: to leave or desert (a person). Cf. to fall away 4a at Phrasal verbs 1.
ΚΠ
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 16013 Þat þine sunen alle scullen þe from falle.
c1390 in C. Brown Relig. Lyrics 14th Cent. (1924) 146 (MED) Whon miht & strengþe is from hem fal.
a1500 in Retrosp. Rev. (1853) 1 419 Clerkyn lowe fal from me, So doth ȝe lef on grofys tre.
1550 R. Sherry tr. J. Brenz Verye Fruitful Expos. Syxte Chapter St. John ii. sig. E.vi As there came vp on hym a greate wynde, he was so afraide, that hys fayeth fel from hym.
1615 R. Cleaver Briefe Explan. Prov. xxix. 510 Peters example was memorable, who letting his courage to fall from him, and fearefulnes to possesse him, was well neere vanquished by feeble souldiers.
1889 E. Lynn Linton Thro' Long Night II. ii. xiii. 196 Some of the quainter forms of his adopted speech were falling from him.
1890 Universal Rev. May 84 My fevered mood fell from me.
1970 R. Manheim tr. H. Hesse Rosshalde xii. 136 Finding all quiet and asleep, he felt his fear fall from him like a heavy wet garment.
2015 J.-M. Rabaté in D. Hillman & U. Maude Cambr. Compan. Body in Lit. xvi. 241 Overcome by anger, he rushes after them, then feels his anger fall from him.
2. intransitive.
a. To depart from, leave behind (a person, friendship, etc.); esp. to leave without help or support; to abandon or desert. Cf. to fall away 2b at Phrasal verbs 1, to fall off 2 at Phrasal verbs 1. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > aspects of faith > apostasy > renounce (God or Christ) [verb (transitive)]
withsayc960
forsake toa1225
renayc1300
to fall from ——c1350
refusec1350
to fall awayc1384
renege1548
revolt1673
the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > reversal of or forsaking one's will or purpose > reverse or abandon one's purpose or intention [verb (transitive)] > desert/renounce a cause, principle, or person
withsayc960
forsakec1175
renayc1300
waive1303
to waive from1303
allayc1330
to fall from ——c1350
relinquish1454
forlesec1460
to give over1477
missake1481
return1483
guerpe1484
abrenounce1537
to turn the back uponc1540
renege1548
forspeak1565
recant1567
reject1574
abnegate1616
abrenunciate1618
derelinque1623
ejurate1623
to give one the backa1624
derelinquisha1631
ejure1642
delinquish1645
desert1654
deviate1757
to give up1970
c1350 Gregorius (Cleo.) (1914) l. 42 (MED) Þþeiȝ ic deie and fram þe falle, Ichulle leue inouȝ þe to kepe.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 25689 Þat frelli fra þi frenscep fell.
a1425 (a1396) R. Maidstone Paraphr. Seven Penitential Psalms (BL Add. 39574) l. 711 in M. Day Wheatley MS (1921) 49 (MED) Men schulden not falle him [sc. Christ] fro.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Jer. lii. 3 Sedechias fel from the kynge of Babilon.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VI f. cxlviijv After this spousage, the Kynges frendes fell from hym.
1549 Bk. Common Prayer (STC 16267) Buriall f. xxiiii* Suffre vs not..to fal from thee.
a1616 W. Shakespeare King John (1623) iii. i. 246 England, I will fall from thee. View more context for this quotation
1649 E. Reynolds Israels Prayer (new ed.) i. 37 Achitophel, a man of great wisdome fals from David.
1769 O. Goldsmith Rom. Hist. I. xviii. 327 The people fell from him by degrees, and left him with very inferior forces.
1829 Winter's Wreath 10 His friends fell from him like insects from a blighted bough; their defection aroused him.
1872 C. E. Maurice Life S. Langton iv. 254 The followers of Louis were falling from him.
1901 R. Kipling Kim iii. 74 My people, my friends, my brothers fell from me.
1989 P. O' Farrell in W. E. Vaughan New Hist. Ireland (2012) VI. xxiii. 721 His erstwhile supporters fell from him like autumn leaves.
†b. To differ or diverge from in opinion, doctrine, etc. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > statement > dissent or disagreement > dissent from or disagree with [verb (transitive)]
to fall from ——a1425
objectc1460
disagreea1513
dissent1565
a1425 (?c1384) J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) III. 342 (MED) We mai see..how þes popis fallen fro Petir, and myche more þei fallen fro Crist.
1566 T. Heskyns Parl. Chryste ii. lviii. f. 209v Luther..acknowleged the presence of Chrystes bodie in the Sacrament, so did his disciples also, till within fewe daies hys Disciples Carolstadius, Zuinglius, and Oecolampadius, fell from him, and began a newe waie.
1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica i. vii. 27 Galen..in some things hath fallen from him [sc. Hippocrates] . View more context for this quotation
†c. To give up or discontinue (a practice or habit); to withdraw from or renege on (a promise, undertaking, etc.). Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > reversal of or forsaking one's will or purpose > reverse or abandon one's purpose or intention [verb (transitive)]
to fall from ——a1425
waivec1450
forthink1483
to leave up1523
unresolve1608
startle1612
betray1614
recant1648
recede1650
to turn round1808
to unmake one's mind1848
unwill1871
the mind > language > speech > agreement > observance > non-observance or breach > fail to observe [verb (transitive)]
breakOE
to-breaka1067
false1303
forleta1325
loosec1400
to fall from ——a1425
renouncec1450
violate?a1475
enfrain1477
failc1500
falsify1532
transverse1532
infringe1533
crack1576
recess1581
recant1585
digress1592
strain1592
burst1600
equivocate1629
falsy1629
forfeit1654
to break through1712
infract1798
waive1833
welsh1925
the world > action or operation > inaction > not doing > abstaining or refraining from action > abstain or refrain from action [verb (intransitive)] > avoid > turn aside from a course of action
wanderc897
haltc900
flitc1175
misdrawc1300
err1303
convertc1374
foldc1380
stray1390
astray1393
swaver?a1400
to fall from ——a1425
recedec1450
depart1535
swervea1547
fag1555
flinch1578
exorbitate1600
extravagate1600
discoasta1677
tralineate1700
aberrate1749
a1425 (?a1400) Bk. Priue Counseling in P. Hodgson Cloud of Unknowing (1944) 148 (MED) Corupcion fel into þe flesche whan þe soule fel fro this werk.
a1535 T. More Hist. Richard III in Wks. (1557) 47/2 Theeues..neuer fall fro the crafte, after thei once falle thereto.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Judges ii. 19 They wolde not fall from their purposes.
1542 H. Brinkelow Lamentacion sig. Avii I exhort you..to..fall from your accustomed Idolatrye.
1645 W. Prynne Hidden Workes Darkenes sig. Gg2v They were fallen from their resolution.
1728 N. Tindal tr. P. Rapin de Thoyras Hist. Eng. V. xi. 139 Just as the Treaty was going to be signed, the Prisoners fell from their Word.
1811 T. Chalmers Let. in W. Hanna Mem. T. Chalmers (1851) I. 243 In the..life of every individual..this commandment is fallen from.
1866 B. Hobart Hist. Abington xi. 111 The other side fell from their agreement.
†3. intransitive. Of a ship: to move away from (another ship) after an attack. Cf. to fall off 4 at Phrasal verbs 1. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going away > go away from [verb (transitive)]
leaveeOE
beleavea1250
devoidc1325
voidc1330
roomc1400
wagc1400
departa1425
refusea1425
avoid1447
ishc1450
remove1459
absent1488
part1496
refrain1534
to turn the backc1540
quita1568
apart1574
shrink1594
to fall from ——1600
to draw away1616
to go off ——a1630
shifta1642
untenant1795
evacuate1809
exit1830
stash1888
split1956
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going away > go away from [verb (transitive)] > part from
twinc1386
part1496
to depart with1502
to fall from ——1600
1600 E. Blount tr. G. F. di Conestaggio Hist. Uniting Portugall to Castill 290 The French admirall..being ill intreated in this cruell fight, fell from the gallion Saint Mathew.
 to fall into ——
†1. intransitive. To make a hostile incursion into or attack on (a place). Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > attack > attack [verb (transitive)]
greetc893
overfallOE
riseOE
assail?c1225
to lay on or upon?c1225
onseekc1275
to set on ——c1290
infighta1300
saila1300
to go upon ——c1300
to turn one's handc1325
lashc1330
annoyc1380
impugnc1384
offendc1385
to fall on ——a1387
sault1387
affrayc1390
to set upon ——1390
to fall upon ——a1398
to lay at?a1400
semblea1400
assayc1400
havec1400
aset1413
oppressa1425
attachc1425
to set at ——c1430
fraya1440
fray1465
oppugn?a1475
sayc1475
envaye1477
pursue1488
envahisshe1489
assaulta1500
to lay to, untoa1500
requirea1500
enterprise?1510
invade1513
assemblec1515
expugn1530
to fare on1535
to fall into ——1550
mount1568
attack?1576
affront1579
invest1598
canvass1599
to take arms1604
attempt1605
to make force at, to, upon1607
salute1609
offence1614
strikea1616
to give a lift at1622
to get at ——1650
insult1697
to walk into ——1794
to go in at1812
to go for ——1838
to light on ——1842
strafe1915
1550 W. Lynne tr. J. Carion Thre Bks. Cronicles iii. f. cxxxvv The Normandes fallyng into Fraunce, dyd so much harme euery where, that [etc.].
1665 T. Herbert Some Years Trav. (new ed.) 244 Some Pioneers Inhabitants of Coon-sha..fell into his naked quarter.
1684 Scanderbeg Redivivus iv. 62 The Tartars of Dialogrod falling into the Ukrain.
a1715 Bp. G. Burnet Hist. Own Time (1724) I. 199 Ready either to invade them, or to fall into Flanders.
2. intransitive. Originally and chiefly Military. To take one's place in (a formation, rank, etc.). Cf. to fall into line at Phrases 1k(a).Also with the position taken as prepositional object.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > arrangement in (a) row(s) or line(s > arrange in (a) row(s) or line(s [verb (transitive)] > specific people > take one's place in a line
to fall into ——1553
1553 J. Brende tr. Q. Curtius Rufus Hist. viii. f. 176 Alexander then commaunded the souldiers to prepare there armour, and fal into aray.
?1592 H. Barwick Breefe Disc. Weapons f. 13v There needed no Sargeant, for euery man as fast as hee could pace fell into his ranke.
1632 J. Hayward tr. G. F. Biondi Eromena 145 Two hundred of them falling into a close order, interposed themselves.
1776 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall I. i. 16 Whenever the trumpet gave the signal of departure, the camp was almost instantly broke up, and the troops fell into their ranks without delay.
1888 W. J. Knox-Little Child of Stafferton iv. 49 In a moment they all fell into their places.
1905 Evening Star (Dunedin, N.Z.) 9 Mar. 3/2 The soldiers fell into firing order.
2009 Valdosta (Georgia) Daily Times (Nexis) 9 June The airmen fell into formation and marched four abreast into the compound.
†3. intransitive. To reach or enter (a place), esp. by chance. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going or coming in > go or come into [verb (transitive)] > by chance
stumble1555
to fall into ——1698
stagger1803
1589 W. Wren in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations i. 144 The 12. day we fell into a Baie to the Eastward of Cape Pargos, which is 35. leagues from Cape Blanke.
1640 ‘Ben-Arod Gad’ Wandering-Jew sig. B Walking in a warme afternoone to Hogsdon alone, I fell into a by-path, which led me into a solitary field.
1698 tr. F. Froger Relation Voy. Coasts Afr. 39 We durst not fall into the Bay till break of Day.
1709 R. Steele Tatler No. 83. ⁋1 I happened this Evening to fall into a Coffee-house near the 'Change.
1745 P. Thomas True Jrnl. Voy. South-Seas 108 They fell into the Harbour unknown to themselves and by mere Chance, the 16th Day.
4. intransitive. To comply or agree with (a proposal, opinion, etc.); to join in with (a course of action). Cf. to fall in 3c at Phrasal verbs 1.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > statement > agreement, concurrence, or unanimity > agree with [verb (transitive)]
to go ineOE
cordc1380
consentc1386
covin1393
condescend1477
agree1481
correspond1545
concur1590
to fall in1602
suffrage1614
to hit it1634
colour1639
to take with ——1646
to be with1648
to fall into ——1668
to run in1688
to think with1688
meet1694
coincide1705
to go in1713
to say ditto to1775
to see with ——1802
sympathize1828
the world > action or operation > advantage > usefulness > use (made of things) > recourse > have recourse to [verb (transitive)] > specifically a course of action
runOE
goOE
drawc1275
to found to1352
resorta1425
tirvec1425
to fall on ——1634
to fall into ——1668
to fall back on1777
1668 W. Temple Let. 12 Feb. (1700) I. 187 Monsieur de Witt was willing to fall into any Expedient.
a1732 F. Atterbury Serm. Several Occas. (1734) II. 288 We fall into all his Commands and Directions.
1788 J. Priestley Lect. Hist. v. lii. 404 The generality of nations have fallen into the method of stamping them.
1848 G. W. M. Reynolds Myst. London IV. 167/1 I also knew that he was as capable of sacrificing me as well as yourself to his own interests, if I did not fall into his views.
1890 T. F. Tout in F. Y. Powell et al. Hist. Eng. III. 128 The ignorant masses fell blindly into the plans of the United Irishmen.
1910 Manch. Guardian 4 May 13/5 If he had fallen into their wishes and the company had turned out a success, [etc.].
2010 W. Roberts Place in Hist. ii. 141 Lafayette..knew about Gates' and Conway's machinations against Washington, but he fell into their scheme anyway.
 to fall off ——
1. intransitive. Nautical. Of a ship or boat: to deviate from (its course). Cf. to fall off 3b at Phrasal verbs 1.
ΚΠ
1609 C. Edmondes tr. Caesar Comm. Civill Warres iii. xxxviii. 217 in Obseruations Caesars Comm. (new ed.) What shippes soeuer had fallen off their course, either by tempest or errour, were there robbed by those Egyptians.
1839 T. Beale Nat. Hist. Sperm Whale 316 [He] called out..for the helmsman to..allow the ship to fall off her course.
1891 Minutes National Woman's Christian Temperance Union 18th Ann. Meeting 125 The ship fell off her track. The captain was alarmed.
1908 Railway & Marine World Sept. 679/2 She was not kept on her course as proper seamanship would dictate,..but from the evidence, was allowed to fall off her course.
1978 Boating Aug. 84/2 Most other autopilots on the market are of the non-hunting type, reacting only when the boat falls off her heading more than a certain amount.
2012 H. Howard Mr. & Mrs. Madison's War i. ii. 85 Her headsails damaged, her sailing master dead and helm shattered by a cannon shot, she fell off her course and into the path of the Shannon.
2. intransitive. To lose appetite for (one's food). Cf. off one's food at off prep. 7b.In early use usually of an animal.
ΚΠ
1678 J. Ray in tr. F. Willughby Ornithol. ii. 201 Skin, fat, and Sinews, or strings..will be apt to stick in their Throats, or twine about their Tongues, and cause them to fall off their meat.
1745 C. Mortimer in Philos. Trans. 1744–5 (Royal Soc.) 43 553 As soon as a Cow falls off her Meat, give her another Dose.
1855 ‘G. Forrest’ Every Boy's Bk. 243 When they [sc. robins] fall off their food, a few hog-lice may be put into their cage, which they will greedily devour.
1889 Live Stock Jrnl. 15 Feb. 149/1 Three weeks back she fell off her meat, being very dull, ears and legs cold.
1909 Rep. Comm. of Inq. Liquor Trade in Southern Nigeria Pt. II. 148/2 in Parl. Papers (Cd. 4907) LX. 519 The other [man] gradually fell off his meat and was practically kept alive for weeks on nothing but gin.
2006 ‘C. J. Cherryh’ Fortress of Ice 6 Aewyn..had nevertheless fallen off his food, pushed items about on his plate.
 to fall on ——
1. intransitive.
a. To make a physical attack on, esp. fiercely or unexpectedly; to accost, assail, assault. Also: to attack with hostile words, action, influence, etc.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > attack > attack [verb (transitive)]
greetc893
overfallOE
riseOE
assail?c1225
to lay on or upon?c1225
onseekc1275
to set on ——c1290
infighta1300
saila1300
to go upon ——c1300
to turn one's handc1325
lashc1330
annoyc1380
impugnc1384
offendc1385
to fall on ——a1387
sault1387
affrayc1390
to set upon ——1390
to fall upon ——a1398
to lay at?a1400
semblea1400
assayc1400
havec1400
aset1413
oppressa1425
attachc1425
to set at ——c1430
fraya1440
fray1465
oppugn?a1475
sayc1475
envaye1477
pursue1488
envahisshe1489
assaulta1500
to lay to, untoa1500
requirea1500
enterprise?1510
invade1513
assemblec1515
expugn1530
to fare on1535
to fall into ——1550
mount1568
attack?1576
affront1579
invest1598
canvass1599
to take arms1604
attempt1605
to make force at, to, upon1607
salute1609
offence1614
strikea1616
to give a lift at1622
to get at ——1650
insult1697
to walk into ——1794
to go in at1812
to go for ——1838
to light on ——1842
strafe1915
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > hostile action or attack > make an attack upon [verb (transitive)] > attack with hostile words or measures
fangc1320
hurtlec1374
impugnc1384
weighc1386
to fall upon ——a1398
to start on ——a1398
oppugn?1435
to lay to, untoa1500
onseta1522
wipe1523
to set against ——1542
to fall aboard——1593
aggress1596
to fall foul1602
attack1613
appugn1615
to set upon ——1639
to fall on ——1641
to lay home, hard, hardly to1650
tack1720
bombard1766
savage1796
to pitch into ——1823
to begin upon a personc1825
bulldog1842
to down on (also upon)a1848
to set at ——1849
to start on ——a1851
to start in on1859
set on at or to1862
to let into1872
to go for ——1890
swash1890
slog1891
to get at ——1893
tee1955
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1865) I. 349 (MED) Fiftene ȝong berdles men..fil on Turgesius and slowe hym.
a1450 ( tr. Vegetius De Re Militari (Douce) (1988) 130 Loke þyn enbusshement be redy þat to falle on hem þat..ben fer from her felauschip for foraieng of vitailes.
c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 160 Ffallys on hym fuersly frap hym to dethe.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Edward IV f. ccxiiiiv He feared lest the..commen people..would fall on hym, as one that fled away.
1641 R. Brooke Disc. Nature Episcopacie ii. vii. 97 Queene Elizabeth, when shee heard of Their miscarriages, fell on Them in most sharpe language.
1668 S. Pepys Diary 6 Feb. (1976) IX. 53 The Parliament..are likely to fall heavy on the business.
a1684 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1667 (1955) III. 484 The Dutch..were falln on our Fleete at Chattam by a most audacious enterprise.
a1715 Bp. G. Burnet Hist. Own Time (1724) I. 307 No merchant's ships should be..fallen on, till six months after a declaration of war.
1786 S. Henley tr. W. Beckford Arabian Tale 13 In the paroxism of his passion he fell furiously on the poor carcases, and kicked them till evening.
1838 C. G. Addison Damascus & Palmyra II. xiv. 405 Peter..bade his men fall on them with their scimitars.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 194 They fell on him [sc. Clarendon] as furiously as their predecessors had fallen on Strafford.
1954 Rotarian Sept. 12/3 About a year later Joe's eighth or ninth novel came out, and the critics fell on it and tore it to pieces.
2008 S. Thion French Armies Thirty Years War 165/1 The Lorraine troops..seeing the small number of unregimented companies, fell on them with their entire cavalry wing.
b. Chiefly British. To seize or apply oneself to (something) eagerly or purposefully; esp. to begin to eat (food, a meal) voraciously or with relish. Cf. attack v. 8.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > carry on vigorously [verb (transitive)] > apply oneself to vigorously
to stand to ——?a1400
to shove at1542
to fall upon ——1617
to work awaya1635
to fall aboard1642
to fall on ——1650
to go at ——1675
to pitch into ——1823
to lay into1880
to be (also go) at the ——1898
to sail in1936
1650 L. Willan tr. Æsop Phrygian Fabulist sig. a The Clown..eagerly fell on the Mess that nighest was to hand.
1742 J. Martyn & E. Chambers tr. Philos. Hist. & Mem. Royal Acad. Sci. Paris IV. 46 For the first days one might see them fall on their food with eagerness, several of them fastening upon the same bit of feather.
1840 R. H. Barham Bagman's Dog in Ingoldsby Legends 1st Ser. 327 He..fell tooth and nail on the soup and the bouilli.
1854 Morning Chron. 17 Mar. 5/3 The pair..fell on the food like hungry wolves.
1936 Country Life 21 Nov. 532/1 A few years ago I fell eagerly on The Children of the New Forest, meaning to revel once more in Jacob Armitage and Pablo.
1993 L. Colwin More Home Cooking ii. 13 It is my impression that no one bakes these anymore..because when I produce them people fall on them.
2002 L. Purves Radio (2003) xiv. 19 Sometimes we sang a chorus or two..to gee ourselves up, then fell on the material before us and got to work.
c. Originally and chiefly U.S. To embrace (a person) passionately or emotionally. Cf. to fall upon a person's neck at neck n.1 Phrases 3.
ΚΠ
1907 Concord (Mass.) Enterprise 29 May 5/5 They fell on each other, and they hugged and they cried.
1960 Amarillo (Texas) Daily News 30 Sept. 35/4 They fell on each other with happy cries.
1987 Atlantic Mar. 71/1 They found themselves in Russell's dorm room, where they suddenly fell on each other—a crisis of lips and tongues and limbs.
2001 S. Montefiore Meet Me under Ombu Tree xix. 239 ‘And I love you,’ she sobbed and fell on him, kissing him.
2. intransitive.
a. To encounter or discover, esp. by chance; spec. to light on (an idea, solution, etc.). Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > occurrence > [verb (intransitive)] > come across or meet with
again-comea1382
counterc1475
occur1527
to fall on ——1533
recounter1583
greeta1627
encounter1632
rencounter1632
bemeet1656
pop1668
to fall in1808
the world > existence and causation > occurrence > [verb (transitive)] > encounter or experience
ymetec893
findeOE
meetOE
counterc1325
overtakec1390
limp?a1400
tidea1400
runa1450
to fall with ——?c1475
onlightc1475
recounterc1485
recount1490
to come in witha1500
occur1531
to fall on ——1533
to fall upon ——1533
beshine1574
rencontre1582
entertain1591
cope with1594
happen1594
tocome1596
incur1599
forgather1600
thwart1601
to fall in1675
cross1684
to come across ——1738
to cross upon (or on)1748
to fall across ——1760
experience1786
to drop in1802
encounter1814
to come upon ——1820
to run against ——1821
to come in contact with1862
to run across ——1864
to knock or run up against1886
to knock up against1887
the mind > attention and judgement > discovery > find out, discover [verb (transitive)] > quickly, casually
to fall on ——1533
hit1555
strikea1610
to drop (down) to or on (to)1819
the world > action or operation > endeavour > searching or seeking > finding or discovery > find or discover [verb (transitive)] > find or discover by chance
find1340
to fall with ——?c1475
to fall on ——1533
stumble1555
to come on ——1584
to come upon ——1622
fortune1662
to blunder upon1710
to come across ——1738
1533 T. More Apologye ix. f. 68v There haue I fallen on a fayre fygure vnware, that ys I trowe called periphrasys, to voyde the fowle name of apostata.
1565 T. Harding Confut. Apol. Church of Eng. iv. xix. f. 214 After this sorte they fell on some note booke made out of Hosius, where the said wordes that they burthen him with, were written.
1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 v. iv. 32 Seeing thou falst on me so luckily. View more context for this quotation
1652 C. Cotterell tr. G. de Costes de La Calprenède Cassandra ii. 107 At first he fell not on the thought of what it was.
1761–2 D. Hume Hist. Eng. (1806) V. lxix. 199 A strange expedient was fallen on to supply this deficiency.
1790 R. Beatson Naval & Mil. Mem. I. 96 They fell on means to heave her round.
1844 Dublin Rev. Mar. 261 We accidentally fell on an article in the Revue des deux Mondes, which corroborated our own views and statements.
1864 C. P. Smyth Our Inheritance in Great Pyramid ii. iii. 133 When at length driven almost to despair..we fell on a recently published paper, which promised great things.
1890 R. M. Kettle Old Hall i. vi. 51 They had fallen on a theme it would be unwise to pursue.
1934 W. W. Gill Manx Dial. 175 To ‘fall on’ a person or object is to chance upon them.
b. To make use of (an idea, topic, etc.), esp. as a last resort; to resort to, have recourse to. Cf. to fall back on at Phrasal verbs 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > advantage > usefulness > use (made of things) > recourse > have recourse to [verb (transitive)] > specifically a course of action
runOE
goOE
drawc1275
to found to1352
resorta1425
tirvec1425
to fall on ——1634
to fall into ——1668
to fall back on1777
1634 J. Ford Chron. Hist. Perkin Warbeck iii. iii. sig. F4 Your knowledge can instruct me, wherein (Sir) To fall on Ceremonie, would seeme vselesse.
1654 R. Whitlock Ζωοτομία 142 Presently they fall on that common place, how much mischiefe it [sc. learning] may do without Grace.
a1715 Bp. G. Burnet Hist. Own Time (1724) I. 260 They fell on propositions of a strange nature to ruine them.
1885 R. L. Stevenson & F. Stevenson Dynamiter 175 Sir George..fell on some expressions which I still remember.
1968 Listener 4 Jan. 27/2 The lads didn't know what they wanted to say and fell on the magic and mystery idea as an unanswerable get-out.
2005 J. Cook in N. Masalha Catastrophe Remembered viii. 197 A number of farming collectives..had fallen on the idea of opening hotels and tourist apartments as a way to revive their flagging fortunes.
 to fall out of ——
1. intransitive. To drop or issue from. Cf. to fall out 1 at Phrasal verbs 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > falling > fall down (something) [verb (transitive)] > fall from
to fall out of ——c1300
fall?c1450
c1300 St. Paul (Laud) l. 51 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 191 Þare feol out of eiþer eiȝe Fuylþe ase þei it were slym.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 12269 (heading) Ihesus raisid a dede childe fallin out of a loft.
a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 93 (MED) Þere schal falle out of him [sc. cancer] pecis gobetmele.
1563 W. Fulke Goodle Gallerye Causes Meteors v. f. 68v Quick syluer hath dyuerse tymes fallen out of the cloudes.
1579 S. Gosson Schoole of Abuse f. 3v He fell out of heauen into Lemnos.
1622 R. Hawkins Observ. Voiage South Sea xvi. 35 Scurvey..causeth a generall swelling of all parts of the body..and many times the teeth fall out of the iawes.
1761 London Chron. 28 Apr. 414/2 A servant maid..fell out of the garret window.
1826 R. P. Gillies tr. E. T. A. Hoffmann Rolandsitten v, in German Stories II. 101 The Baron,..letting the last morsel of the manuscript fall out of his fingers, trod it vehemently upon the floor.
1849 J. Abbott Hist. Hannibal viii. 167 Stones fell out of the sky at a place called Picenum.
1922 Sat. Evening Post 26 Aug. 42/3 Her purse..had almost certainly fallen out of her pocket in the course of the struggle.
2015 M. Shermer Moral Arc iii. x. 349 You fell out of the top of a bunk bed and landed on your head.
†2. intransitive. Military. To make a sally, sortie, or raid from. Cf. to fall out 3 at Phrasal verbs 1. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > attack > raid > [verb (transitive)] > make raid from
to fall out of ——1535
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > robbery > sacking, raiding, or looting > sack, raid, or loot [verb]
to fall out of ——1535
1535 Bible (Coverdale) 2 Kings v. 2 There had men of warre fallen out of Syria, and caried awaye a litle damsel.
1602 T. Churchyard & R. Robinson tr. E. van Meteren True Disc. Hist. Succeeding Governours Netherlands 37 The very Garrison themselues with a great force fell out of the towne also, who set vpon the enemies.
1669 tr. Duc de Guise Mem. iv. 475 He lay ready with fifty men to have fallen out of some adjoyning houses where they were concealed, to second the Conspirators and help to make their retreat.
1672 tr. J. Grybius Lyon Disturbed 52 Our men falling out of the Fort, hindred the same, and took 30. of them prisoners.
3. intransitive. Military. To leave one's place in, cease to be in (a military formation). Cf. to fall out 6a at Phrasal verbs 1, to fall out of line at Phrases 1k(b).
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military operations > distribution of troops > formation > form (line, column, etc.) [verb (transitive)] > stand in line with > fall out of (line)
to fall out of ——1634
1634 G. Barry Disc. Mil. Discipline i. vii. 64 The Sardgentes doe a complish theyre obligationes in letinge none to stragel, nor fall oute of theyre ranckes.
1788 D. Dundas Princ. Mil. Movements 52 It is more eligible to have a division obliged to fall out of the line and double, than to have openings in it.
1824 W. Scott Redgauntlet III. ii. 42 Do you fall out of the line, and wait here with me.
1859 J. M. Jephson & L. Reeve Narr. Walking Tour Brittany xiv. 234 The men piled arms and fell out of the ranks.
1921 J. Dos Passos Three Soldiers iv. i. 193 John Andrews fell out of the slowly advancing column a moment to look at them.
2005 K. M. Brown Retreat from Gettysburg vii. 173 Tanner then fell out of the ranks and brought up the rear, joining a host of stragglers.
4. intransitive. To follow logically or naturally from (the specified theory, facts, etc.). Cf. to fall out 5e at Phrasal verbs 1.
ΚΠ
1984 Inquiry 27 146 Longino herself acknowledges a number of issues which logically fall out of her theory.
1996 Managerial & Decision Econ. 17 356/1 Several conclusions fall out of this analysis.
2010 M. Duží et al. Procedural Semantics for Hyperintensional Logic Pref. The applications we present should not be ad hoc. Rather they must fall out of an existing theory.
 to fall over ——
1. intransitive. colloquial. to fall over one another (also each other): to vie with each other eagerly to be the first to do or achieve something.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > relationship > equality or equivalence > be or become equal [verb (intransitive)] > rival or vie with
strive?c1225
countervailc1525
to hold handc1600
compete1620
to keep upa1633
competition1650
tie1680
to fall over one another1888
1888 Boston Daily Advertiser 7 Apr. 3/1 Buyers seemed to be anxious to fall over one another in the effort to get stocks today.
1889 N.Y. Times 5 Apr. 1/3 The traders will be falling over each other to get May at $1 05.
1968 Guardian 15 May 7/2 The county councils and the dozens of different official bodies falling over one another to administer and advise the Highlands.
2010 Private Eye 28 May 9/3 The fair-trade movement has grown rapidly in recent years, as companies fall over each other to show how ethical they are.
2. intransitive. colloquial. to fall over oneself: (a) to become confused, make mistakes; (now) esp. to speak in a hurried or stumbling manner; (b) to show great or excessive eagerness (to do something).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > perplexity, bewilderment > be or become confused [verb (intransitive)]
wonder1297
confusec1350
maskera1375
studya1375
to annoy of?c1400
muse?c1430
marc1440
manga1450
puzzle1605
dunce1611
quandary1616
wavera1625
wilder1658
to scratch one's head1712
maffle1781
to strike up1844
turn1852
to fall over oneself1889
fuzz1930
to get the lines crossed1973
the mind > will > wish or inclination > willingness > be willing [verb (intransitive)] > display willingness
to show willing1862
to fall over oneself1889
1889 Washington Post 14 Feb. 2/1 Mr. Baker made some blunders, but Mr. Ermentrout seemed to be in a condition of stage fright and fell over himself repeatedly.
1891 Forest & Stream 3 Dec. 389/1 It is customary for the city press of Chicago to fall over itself a good deal every year by way of eulogizing the annual game dinner.
1904 Brooklyn Standard Union 2 Aug. 6 The bonafide independent element is not falling over itself to come to Parker's assistance.
1947 K. Tennant Lost Haven iii. 48 Why was it that..these rich coots with tons of money nearly fell over themselves grabbing at anything they could get free?
1992 M. Hoffman tr. W. Koeppen Death in Rome (2001) 66 He spoke hurriedly, falling over himself. ‘I found out where you were staying, please excuse me. I don't mean to disturb you. I'm sure I'm disturbing you, [etc.].’
2011 Independent 5 July 7/2 Retailers fall over themselves to assure customers that their food is fresh and locally-sourced.
 to fall through ——
intransitive. Scottish. To bungle, make a mess of. Now rare. Sc. National Dict. (at Fa) records this sense as still in use in Aberdeenshire in 1950.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > ability > inability > unskilfulness > be unskilled in [verb (transitive)] > bungle
botch1530
bungle1530
mumble1588
muddle1605
mash1642
bumble?1719
to fall through ——1726
fuck1776
blunder1805
to make a mull of1821
bitch1823
mess1823
to make a mess of1834
smudge1864
to muck up1875
boss1887
to make balls of1889
duff1890
foozle1892
bollocks1901
fluff1902
to make a muck of1903
bobble1908
to ball up1911
jazz1914
boob1915
to make a hash of1920
muff1922
flub1924
to make a hat of1925
to ass up1932
louse1934
screw1938
blow1943
to foul up1943
eff1945
balls1947
to make a hames of1947
to arse up1951
to fuck up1967
dork1969
sheg1981
bodge1984
1726 J. Harvey Coll. of Misc. Poems & Lett. 26 I Have fall'n through my Philosophy too much, to pretend to any further Skill in reasoning now, besides what mere natural Thinking..presents to me.
1766 A. Nicol Poems Several Subj. 51 The minstrel fairly tint his skill, For he fell through ilk tune.
1825 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Suppl. (at cited word) By her foolish airs, she's fa'n through her marriage.
1826 J. Hogg Noctes Ambrosianæ xxv, in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. June 756 The minister's fa'en through the text, An' Meg gets a' the blame o't.
1917 ‘O. Douglas’ Setons x His accent is wonderful, too. He hardly ever falls through it.
 to fall to ——
†1. intransitive. Hunting. To pick up (a scent or trail); to track, pick up the scent of (an animal). Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > progressive motion > order of movement > following behind > follow [verb (transitive)] > follow (a track or trail) > find track and follow
to fall to ——c1400
track1799
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 1425 Þe howndeȝ..fellen..fast to þe fuyt.
c1475 (a1400) Awntyrs Arthure (Taylor) in J. Robson Three Early Eng. Metrical Romances (1842) 1 (MED) Thay hom dyȝt into the depe dellus, Fellun to tho femalus.
2. intransitive.Cf. to fall to 3 at Phrasal verbs 1, and cf. also to fall to work at Phrases 1c(a), to fall to it at Phrases 1c(b), and sense 47d.
a. To begin to eat (food, a meal), esp. voraciously or with relish. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > eat [verb (transitive)] > begin to eat
to fall to ——c1440
to fall unto ——1587
c1440 (?a1400) Sir Perceval (1930) l. 1326 Þay felle to þaire fude.
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 4587 A wolfe..Quen he has faute of his flesch he fallis to þe soile!
1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Mark v. f. xliv At the length he is vnbound, and falleth to his meate.
1593 B. Rich Greenes Newes sig. Gv Comfort your selfe whilst your meate is warme, plucke vppe your stomake and fall to your breakfast.
a1637 B. Jonson Sad Shepherd i. vii. 24 in Wks. (1640) III Fall to your cheese-cakes, curdes, and clawted creame. View more context for this quotation
1699 W. Dampier Voy. & Descr. i. iii. 52 When this is done they fall to their Meat. I saw one of these Grave-Feasts.
1730 W. Reading Fifty Eight Serm. III. v. 56 The abstinence of the day..only whetted them to fall to their Supper with the greater gust.
1852 Church Oct. 273/1 He fell to his meat with a hearty appetite.
1915 J. Buchan Salute to Adventurers (1917) iii. 40 Gib shook himself like a great dog, and fell to his breakfast without a word.
2012 E. Dymott Every Contact leaves Trace 161 He would laugh as he came in and my mother and he would fall to their supper, silently.
†b. To begin using or resort to using (a given object) in order to engage in a particular activity which is implied or understood. Obsolete.Often with nouns used metonymically, as to fall to the sword: to begin fighting; to fall to one's oars: to begin rowing; to fall to one's books: to begin reading, writing, or studying.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > advantage > usefulness > use (made of things) > recourse > have recourse to [verb (transitive)]
fang855
runOE
to take to ——?c1225
seeka1300
goc1390
to have (one's or a) recourse toc1405
recourse?a1425
suit1450
to take (also make or make one's) recourse to (also into)c1456
repairc1475
to fall to ——1490
recur1511
to take unto ——1553
flee1563
betake1590
retreat1650
to call on ——1721
devolve1744
to draw upon ——1800
to draw on ——a1817
1490 W. Caxton tr. Foure Sonnes of Aymon (1885) xix. 419 Now, lordes, make you redy, and see that every man fall to his armures, for I wyl now gyve assaute to mountalban.
1568 C. Watson tr. Polybius Hystories f. 78 In gret rage and anger they fell to their weapons, nothing regarding Hanno, or the other captains.
1598 R. Barckley Disc. Felicitie of Man v. 544 Julius..would haue his speare in his left hand, and his pen in his right hand: he neuer vnarmed himselfe but he would presently fall to his booke.
1651 C. Sydenham False Brother 29 When the Scots saw all this would not do, they fall to their pens, and shoot up and down their paper pellets against the Army.
1679 I. Bargrave tr. F. Micanzio Exact Discov. Myst. Iniquity 14 The Master of a Galley..with once whistling makes all the Galley Slaves fall to their Oars.
1759 T. Flloyd tr. T.-S. Gueullette Tartarian Tales 302 The unhappy Creatures were no sooner stretched out on the Floor, than the Murderers fell to their Horn, but the Wretches were deaf to their Musick.
1886 Warren (Pa.) Mail 7 Sept. The pupils fall to their books, their music exercises, etc., at certain hours.
1908 Christian Observer (Louisville, Kentucky) 9 Sept. 20/4 He fell to his books with a right good will, and when spelling time came, astonished both master and pupils.
1916 G. Moore Brook Kerith (new ed.) ix. 95 There was no use arguing with the ferryman, who after a long stare fell to his oars.
†3. intransitive. To agree to or comply with (a proposal, course of action, etc.). Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > statement > assent > [verb (transitive)]
cordc1380
to give handsa1425
to fall to ——a1450
agree1472
to go into ——1540
astipulate1548
subscribe1560
seal1579
suffragate1606
give1621
assent1637
homologate1644
to take up with1673
affirmative1775
chorus1836
yea-say1887
yes1915
the mind > language > speech > agreement > consent > consent to [verb (transitive)]
thave835
baithea1350
consentc1386
accordc1400
agreea1413
sustainc1425
to fall to ——a1450
exalt1490
avow1530
to stand satisfactory to1576
teem1584
assent1637
to close with1654
fiat1831
to stand in1911
wear1925
a1450 (?c1421) J. Lydgate Siege Thebes (Arun.) (1911) l. 774 (MED) Thorgh counsayl of the lordes alle To her desyre pleynly she is falle, And accorded..That of Thebes Edippus shal be kyng.
1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. clxi. 195 I wold gladly fall to any reasonable way.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Edward IV f. ccxiiiiv The citiezens..fell to this pact.
1612 S. Lennard tr. P. de Mornay Mysterie Iniquitie 595 They fell to this agreement, That Adolph should possesse till his death the places which he had surprised.
1683 W. Penn in N. Crouch Eng. Empire in Amer. (1685) 118 He fell to the Bounds of the Land they had agreed to dispose of, and the Price.
† to fall unto ——
intransitive. To begin to eat (food, a meal), esp. voraciously or with relish; = to fall to —— 2a at Phrasal verbs 2. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > eat [verb (transitive)] > begin to eat
to fall to ——c1440
to fall unto ——1587
1587 G. Turberville Tragicall Tales f. 68 The Lady, somewhat hungrie, fell vnto the cates.
1665 J. Ogilby tr. Homer Odysses xxiv. 362 Supper prepar'd, they down in order sat On several Seats, and fall unto their Meat.
 to fall upon ——
1. intransitive.
a. To make a physical attack on, esp. fiercely or unexpectedly; to accost, assail, assault; (also) to attack with hostile words, action, influence, etc.; = to fall on —— 1a at Phrasal verbs 2.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > attack > attack [verb (transitive)]
greetc893
overfallOE
riseOE
assail?c1225
to lay on or upon?c1225
onseekc1275
to set on ——c1290
infighta1300
saila1300
to go upon ——c1300
to turn one's handc1325
lashc1330
annoyc1380
impugnc1384
offendc1385
to fall on ——a1387
sault1387
affrayc1390
to set upon ——1390
to fall upon ——a1398
to lay at?a1400
semblea1400
assayc1400
havec1400
aset1413
oppressa1425
attachc1425
to set at ——c1430
fraya1440
fray1465
oppugn?a1475
sayc1475
envaye1477
pursue1488
envahisshe1489
assaulta1500
to lay to, untoa1500
requirea1500
enterprise?1510
invade1513
assemblec1515
expugn1530
to fare on1535
to fall into ——1550
mount1568
attack?1576
affront1579
invest1598
canvass1599
to take arms1604
attempt1605
to make force at, to, upon1607
salute1609
offence1614
strikea1616
to give a lift at1622
to get at ——1650
insult1697
to walk into ——1794
to go in at1812
to go for ——1838
to light on ——1842
strafe1915
the world > action or operation > undertaking > beginning action or activity > begin or enter upon (an action) [verb (transitive)] > begin an action or fall to doing something
fangc888
goOE
fallc1175
to fall upon ——a1398
to take upa1400
fall?c1450
to fall out ina1555
get1751
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > hostile action or attack > make an attack upon [verb (transitive)] > attack with hostile words or measures
fangc1320
hurtlec1374
impugnc1384
weighc1386
to fall upon ——a1398
to start on ——a1398
oppugn?1435
to lay to, untoa1500
onseta1522
wipe1523
to set against ——1542
to fall aboard——1593
aggress1596
to fall foul1602
attack1613
appugn1615
to set upon ——1639
to fall on ——1641
to lay home, hard, hardly to1650
tack1720
bombard1766
savage1796
to pitch into ——1823
to begin upon a personc1825
bulldog1842
to down on (also upon)a1848
to set at ——1849
to start on ——a1851
to start in on1859
set on at or to1862
to let into1872
to go for ——1890
swash1890
slog1891
to get at ——1893
tee1955
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xviii. xii. 1147 Þe verray been poursueþ þilke flies and fighteþ wiþ hem and suffreþ nouȝt hem fallen vpon here hous.
1443 in E. M. Carus-Wilson Overseas Trade Bristol in Later Middle Ages (1937) 76 (MED) The forseid Hankyn fill eftsones upon þe seid ship of ffaro and toke hir.
1480 Cronicles Eng. (Caxton) ccxxvi. sig. p5 Kyng edward..fyll vpon Phelipp of valoys.
1569 R. Grafton Chron. II. 148 Sir Edward..fell sodeinly vpon the hoste of..Sir Simond.
1653 Cloria & Narcissus 93 Orestes, contrarie to his expectation, like an enraged Lion, fell upon him with this language.
1671 J. Narborough Jrnl. in Acct. Several Late Voy. (1711) i. 132 The Commander..began to fear, lest they might be fallen upon.
1709 T. Hearne Remarks & Coll. 13 Apr. The Dr. has..fallen upon Gronovius..But he was provok'd to it by Gronovius's first falling upon him.
1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones VI. xvi. iv. 29 When I expected you would have commended me for all I have done, to be fallen upon in this Manner. View more context for this quotation
1846 H. H. Wilson Hist. Brit. India 1805–35 II. iii. 106 Some of the principal Omras urged the Nizam to fall upon the Residency.
1857 D. Livingstone Missionary Trav. S. Afr. xv. 278 Manenko fell upon our friends..she is a most accomplished scold.
1906 U. Sinclair Jungle xxi. 242 Whenever he essayed it [sc. carrying satchels for railroad passengers], eight or ten men and boys would fall upon him and force him to run for his life.
1932 W. Muir & E. Muir tr. H. Broch Sleepwalkers iii. xxii. 393 He fell upon the dumbfounded Herr Esch with the most violent reproaches for having let his paper fall so low.
2013 Press (Christchurch, N.Z.) (Nexis) 28 Feb. 13 Japanese troops..fell upon unarmed civilians.
b. To seize or apply oneself to (something) eagerly or purposefully; esp. to begin to eat (food, a meal) voraciously or with relish; = to fall on —— 1b at Phrasal verbs 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > carry on vigorously [verb (transitive)] > apply oneself to vigorously
to stand to ——?a1400
to shove at1542
to fall upon ——1617
to work awaya1635
to fall aboard1642
to fall on ——1650
to go at ——1675
to pitch into ——1823
to lay into1880
to be (also go) at the ——1898
to sail in1936
1617 F. Moryson Itinerary iii. iii. i. 128 They haue no kniues, neither haue they variety of dishes set before them, but all sitting in a circle, fall vpon one dish.
1841 C. Dickens Old Curiosity Shop i. x. 142 Taking out his clasp-knife and falling upon a great piece of bread and meat.
1865 M. Oliphant Agnes III. ix. 142 When she had found this golden vein, she fell upon it eagerly,..and worked her idea out.
1891 R. Kipling Light that Failed iii. 44 Dick fell upon eggs and bacon and gorged till he could gorge no more.
1945 N. Mitford Pursuit of Love xviii. 146 Soon Davy was falling upon éclairs and mille feuilles with all the abandon of a schoolboy.
1992 Sun Herald (Sydney) (Nexis) 18 Oct. 115 Fans of Barbara Pym's comic novels about clerical life will fall upon this book gratefully.
2011 A. Ghosh River of Smoke 82 Neel dispensed with chopsticks and fell upon the food with his hands.
2. intransitive.
a. To encounter or discover, esp. by chance; spec. to light on (an idea, solution, etc.). Cf. to fall on —— 2a at Phrasal verbs 2. Now somewhat archaic.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > occurrence > [verb (transitive)] > encounter or experience
ymetec893
findeOE
meetOE
counterc1325
overtakec1390
limp?a1400
tidea1400
runa1450
to fall with ——?c1475
onlightc1475
recounterc1485
recount1490
to come in witha1500
occur1531
to fall on ——1533
to fall upon ——1533
beshine1574
rencontre1582
entertain1591
cope with1594
happen1594
tocome1596
incur1599
forgather1600
thwart1601
to fall in1675
cross1684
to come across ——1738
to cross upon (or on)1748
to fall across ——1760
experience1786
to drop in1802
encounter1814
to come upon ——1820
to run against ——1821
to come in contact with1862
to run across ——1864
to knock or run up against1886
to knock up against1887
1533 T. More 2nd Pt. Confut. Tyndals Answere p. cccccii They..coulde neyther wote where to fynde yt [sc. His chyrche], nor of whome to aske for yt, nor so myche as know yt yf yt fortuned them to fall vppon yt by happe.
1597 J. Melville Fruitful & Comfortable Exhortatioun anent Death Ep. Ded. sig. A2 Casting over my scrolles, I fell vpon the minutes of a certaine Sermon.
1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. iv. 137 At last we fell vpon a Dalmatian widdow, whose pittifull lookes..stroke my soule.
1747 in Colonial Rec. Pennsylvania (1851) V. 99 Some Method should be fall'n upon to prevent the Evils which threaten Us.
1778 J. Pringle Telescopes 9 By the force of his..genius he fell upon this new property of light.
1837 W. Irving Adventures Capt. Bonneville II. 77 He..soon fell upon the track of Mr. Robert Campbell's party, which had preceded him by a day.
1862 Ld. Brougham Brit. Constit. (ed. 3) xiii. 189 Edward III fell upon an expedient which gave very great satisfaction to all.
1874 G. W. Dasent Tales from Fjeld 247 When he had walked a while, he fell upon an old wife.
1971 S. G. Crawford Log of S.S. Mrs Unguentine x. 102 Sometimes I fell upon a traffic of ants or a cluster of bees drinking from a puddle.
2009 D. Burch Taking Med. v. 60 On a walk through the Cotswold countryside, he fell upon an idea.
†b. To adopt, take up, avail oneself of (a plan, suggestion, etc.). Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > advantage > usefulness > use (made of things) > use or make use of [verb (transitive)] > take into use
takea1400
to fall upon ——1579
adopta1616
1579 J. Brooke tr. P. Viret Christian Disputations iii. vi. f. 296 For a full resolution, they will fall vppon this sence.
1633 Bp. J. Hall Plaine Explic. Hard Texts i. 231 He that fals rashly upon his determinations..cannot but offend.
1655 H. L'Estrange Reign King Charles 130 His Majesty fell upon Davids design..of numbring the People.
1752 C. Lennox Female Quixote II. viii. ii. 213 At present the Desire of continuing near me, obliges you to lay this Constraint upon yourself; however you know Thrasimedes fell upon the same Stratagem to no Purpose.
1858 E. H. Sears Athanasia iii. v. 297 The church..had fallen upon the belief that he [sc. Christ] was soon to appear again.
c. To resort to or become dependent on (a system of relief or financial aid). Originally and chiefly in to fall on (also upon) the parish (see on (also upon) the parish at parish n. Phrases). Now historical.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > be under authority [verb (intransitive)] > be dependent
to lie in one's powerc1374
depend1548
to hang on, upon, of (a person's) sleeve1548
to lie in (or on) one's handsa1593
to fall upon ——?1672
society > authority > subjection > in or into subjection [phrase] > dependent on
to leave to, be at the courtesy (of)a1538
to stand to or at the courtesy (of)a1538
to fall upon ——?1672
?1672 Reasons suppressing Stage-coaches 11 Those poor, who..are fallen upon the several Parishes wherein they live, for maintenance.
1799 T. R. Malthus Jrnl. 24 June (1966) 90 The fear that the children of soldiers might fall upon the publick or starve.
1897 Evening Post (Exeter) 7 Dec. She is compelled to fall upon the parish to the extent of 5s weekly.
2012 E. Hubbard City Women iii. 79 In the absence of a plausible father, a bastard baby could only fall upon the parish.
d. To make use of as a last resort; = to fall back upon. Cf. to fall on —— 2b at Phrasal verbs 2. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > advantage > usefulness > use (made of things) > recourse > have recourse to [verb (transitive)] > when other things fail
to throw back1656
to fall upon ——1767
to fall back on (also upon)1777
1767 ‘Coriat Junior’ Another Traveller! I. 218 Failing of an inscription, [he] may fall upon a derivative.
2011 D. Lipsky From Anxiety to Meltdown vii. 164 Knowing there is a back up plan to fall upon allows a sense of control over the uncontrollable.
3. intransitive. Geometry. Of a line: to intersect the end of (another line). Also: (of a geometric figure) to coincide with (another geometric figure) exactly in terms of position and dimensions when superimposed. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > number > geometry > line > linearize [verb (transitive)] > have contact
touch1551
cut1570
to fall upon ——1570
the world > relative properties > number > geometry > point > overlay a point [verb (transitive)]
to fall upon ——1840
1570 H. Billingsley tr. Euclid Elements Geom. i. f. 18 The line FG may fall directly vpon the line DF.
1656 tr. T. Hobbes Elements Philos. iii. xix. 204 If two straight lines which fall upon another straight line be parallel, their reflected lines shall be also parallel.
1730 W. Webster tr. P. Hoste Compend. Course Pract. Math. II. 15 The line CE, will fall upon the line AD.
1840 D. Lardner Treat. Geom. 42 The vertex of the angle c′ must fall upon the vertex of the angle c.
2009 Trans. Charles S. Peirce Soc. 45 144 AB is parallel to CE, and the straight line BD falls upon them.
† to fall with ——
intransitive. To encounter, meet with; esp. (Nautical) to arrive at (land). Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > occurrence > [verb (transitive)] > encounter or experience
ymetec893
findeOE
meetOE
counterc1325
overtakec1390
limp?a1400
tidea1400
runa1450
to fall with ——?c1475
onlightc1475
recounterc1485
recount1490
to come in witha1500
occur1531
to fall on ——1533
to fall upon ——1533
beshine1574
rencontre1582
entertain1591
cope with1594
happen1594
tocome1596
incur1599
forgather1600
thwart1601
to fall in1675
cross1684
to come across ——1738
to cross upon (or on)1748
to fall across ——1760
experience1786
to drop in1802
encounter1814
to come upon ——1820
to run against ——1821
to come in contact with1862
to run across ——1864
to knock or run up against1886
to knock up against1887
society > travel > travel by water > [verb (transitive)] > reach by sailing or arrive at
arrivec1440
to fall with ——?c1475
feta1547
seize1588
fetch1589
purchase1589
to fall in1598
porta1625
set1632
the world > action or operation > endeavour > searching or seeking > finding or discovery > find or discover [verb (transitive)] > find or discover by chance
find1340
to fall with ——?c1475
to fall on ——1533
stumble1555
to come on ——1584
to come upon ——1622
fortune1662
to blunder upon1710
to come across ——1738
the world > existence and causation > causation > chance or causelessness > chance or risk [verb (transitive)] > come upon by chance
tumble1565
to fall with ——1646
pop1668
to luck upon1670
to run into ——1895
?c1475 in J. Gairdner Sailing Direct. (1889) 16 (MED) Ye shall fall with eleron [i.e. Ile d'Oleron].
1555 R. Eden Two Viages into Guinea in tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Decades of Newe Worlde f. 351v The .xxi. day of the sayde mooneth we fel with cape Mesurado to the southeast abowt two leagues of.
1589 Voy. W. Towrson in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations i. 112 The 12. of May we fell with the Isle of Lundy in the Channel of Bristoll.
1632 R. Le Grys tr. Velleius Paterculus Romane Hist. 1 Teucer..falling with [L. adpulsus] Cyprus, did build..Salamina.
1646 J. Brinsley Araignment 1 Opening his Bible, he fell with that of the Psalmist.
1670–1 J. Narborough Jrnl. in Acct. Several Late Voy. (1711) i. 124 Expecting to fall with Indians, for I saw many Fires up in the Land.
1748 Biographia Britannica II. 1366 They fell with the coast of Barbary the 17th of September.

Compounds

Sometimes difficult to distinguish from compounds with fall n.2 as the first element.
fallboard n. †(a) a shutter (esp. of a window) which is hinged at the bottom (obsolete); (b) the hinged cover for the keyboard of a piano, organ, etc.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > window or door > parts of windows > [noun] > fittings or ornaments of windows > shutter
fall window1422
lock1440
window?c1500
lid1535
winnock-bred1546
window lid1591
counter-window1600
shut1611
shuttle1614
window-broad1628
window-shut1649
window shutter1665
window board1683
shutter1720
fallboard1742
jalousie1766
storm shutter1834
rain door1867
amado1873
sunbreak1891
brise-soleil1944
the world > space > relative position > closed or shut condition > that which or one who closes or shuts > [noun] > that which closes an aperture > hinged board
fallboard1864
1742 W. Ellis Mod. Husbandman July xvi. 86 The Entrance [being] afterwards stopped with a Fall-board, so that no Pole-cat..can in the least molest them.
1820 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. June 281 A pair of fall-boards belonging to a window.
1840 Fraser's Mag. Nov. 606/2 She..shut the oaken shutters, or fall-boards of the windows.
1864 Law Times 6 Feb. 159/1 Each [pianoforte] bore on its fall-board the mark ‘Rolfe and Co., pianoforte makers, Regent-street’.
1905 Missionary Herald (Boston) Apr. (advt.) Mason & Hamlin mission organs... Height, 2 ft. 10½ in. (to top of fall-board when open, 3 ft. 7 in.).
1999 P. Straub Mr. X lv. 212 He pointed across the room to a white baby grand.., raced across the carpet, raised the fallboard, and struck the high E.
fall-bridge n. a bridge capable of being lowered into position; (formerly also) †a drawbridge (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > other equipment of vessel > [noun] > ladder or gang-plank
ship-ladderc1050
fall-bridge1487
way-shide1535
gallery ladder1706
side ladder1724
gangboard1769
gangway ladder1778
gangplank1785
stern-ladder1794
race board1808
gangway1846
brow1867
boarding-bridge1878
passerelle1989
1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) xvii. l. 419 Thai the schip on na maner Micht ger cum till the vall so neir That thair fall-brig mycht reik thar-till.
1572 J. Higgins Huloets Dict. (rev. ed.) sig. Fij/2 Brydge called a fall brydge, or a drawe bridge. Pons versatilis.
1672 tr. J. Grybius Lyon Disturbed 27 The Fall-bridge of the inner-gate let down.
1902 Appletons' Ann. Cycl. 1901 667/1 A new revenue bill..adding the following to the list of those to pay license taxes: Bill-posters,..ferries and fall bridges, [etc.].
2001 Ships Monthly July 35/1 A floating pontoon fitted with four hydraulically-operated fall bridges.
fall gate n. (in a dam, weir, etc.) a gate or sluice that drops open automatically as a flood-prevention measure when water levels reach a certain height; = falling gate n. (c) at falling adj. Compounds 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > closed or shut condition > that which or one who closes or shuts > a barrier > [noun] > gate > gate across road
fall gate1585
falgate1808
1585 Dewsbury Rectory Manor Court Roll in Yorks. Archaeol. Jrnl. (1911) 21 427 They lay in pain that Thomas Barber and Roger Gawnte do make the fall gate and the two Mylne gates.
1665 W. Dodson Designe Draining Fens 11 To finish this Sluce, there must be four and twenty double Gates to Sea-ward, to play with the Tide when need shall serve; but these cannot play but with leave of the Fall-gates.
1884 63rd Ann. Rep. Board of Managers Lehigh Coal & Navigation Co. 1883 19 New fall gates at Locks Nos. 27 and 36.
1913 J. M. M. B. Durham & R. J. Richardson Melton & Homespun 248 Do yow be at the fall-gate, over the great dick, at half arter six.
1968 Pennsylvania Mag. Hist. & Biogr. 92 402 The intricate workings of the lock gates—both the fall gate and wicket gate types; the two were commonly paired, with the ingenious fall gate at the upper end, against the flow of the water.
fall-leaf adj. and n. originally North American (a) adj. (attributive) designating a table with a leaf or leaves designed to drop or be let down; = drop-leaf adj. at drop- comb. form 2; (b) n. a leaf of such a table.
ΚΠ
1749 Inventory Estate J. Calder 28 Nov. (Connecticut Wills & Probate Rec., 1609–1999, no. 1080) in www.ancestry.com (accessed 24 Jan. 2017) 2 Table Sq[ua]r[e] wt bears Claw Legs @ 30/–..1 Do Stand fash[io]n Swivel leafe @ 15/ 1 Do oval fall Leafe Large @ 20/–.
1820 Indiana Republican 25 May One book-case, one fall leaf table, one candle-stand [etc.].
1837 Manch. Times 25 Feb. (advt.) Very excellent dining table with fall leaf, centre, and two D ends.
1914 Punch (Melbourne) 11 June 1036/1 (advt.) Ladies' fall-leaf writing table... Very useful where space is limited.
1979 Guardian 6 Jan. 19/3 (advt.) Antique oak fall-leaf dining table.
1997 Press (Christchurch, N.Z.) (Nexis) 11 Feb. 28 The drop-leaf table is also known as a fall-leaf or flap table.
† fall-piece n. U.S. Obsolete the flap at the front of a pair of breeches; = fall n.2 30d.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for legs > clothing for legs and lower body > [noun] > trousers > parts of > fastening > cloth covering
fall1796
fall-piece1837
fly1844
1837 Knickerbocker Feb. 157 The pantaloons..with a perpendicular opening in front, which I should think must be much more convenient than the old-fashioned fall-pieces.
fallpipe n. any pipe through which water or other liquid falls; spec. (a) a pipe conveying rainwater from a roof, etc., to the ground, a downpipe; (b) the drive pipe of a water ram (now rare).
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > roof > [noun] > downpipe(s)
roan1383
rone1750
fallpipe1846
downpipe1849
downspout1850
rainwater goods1897
1846 Artizan Nov. 231/2 Closing plates, forming gutters to carry off the water, are to be fitted..and rain water fall-pipes..are to be supplied.
1874 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. I. 28/2 A cock l in the fall pipe k is closed or opened as the alternating to be described requires.
1888 Lockwood's Dict. Mech. Engin. 134 Fall pipe, a drive pipe.
1902 C. J. C. Hyne Thompson's Progr. (1903) ii. 57 He crept back again, and found against the wall a fall-pipe by which he could climb up to the level of the meeting-room.
1983 D. S. Azbel & N. P. Cheremisinoff Fluid Mech. & Unit Operations vi. 390 These factors can be expressed as the ratio of the length of the fall pipe to the height of the fall.
2016 Yorks. Evening Post (Nexis) 8 Mar. They..saw the suspect shinning down a fallpipe, jumping the last 12ft to the ground.
† fall window n. Obsolete a window shutter which is hinged at the bottom; cf. fallboard n. (a).
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > window or door > parts of windows > [noun] > fittings or ornaments of windows > shutter
fall window1422
lock1440
window?c1500
lid1535
winnock-bred1546
window lid1591
counter-window1600
shut1611
shuttle1614
window-broad1628
window-shut1649
window shutter1665
window board1683
shutter1720
fallboard1742
jalousie1766
storm shutter1834
rain door1867
amado1873
sunbreak1891
brise-soleil1944
1422 in J. Raine Vol. Eng. Misc. N. Counties Eng. (1890) 16 The falle wyndow to ye streteward.
fallwood n. now rare wood that has fallen or been blown down.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > wood > [noun] > wood that has fallen down
fallwoodc1524
c1524 in J. Nichols Illustr. Antient Times Eng. (1797) 126 Two lode of fawle wode.
1528 Papers Earls of Cumberland in T. D. Whitaker Hist. Craven (1812) 308 Item, 3 load of falwood and bavings, 3s. 4d.
1739 R. Hayes Negociator's Mag. (ed. 4) ii. 206 Wood is assized into Shids, Billets, Faggots, Falwood, and Cord Wood. [Also in later dictionaries.]
1987 P. D. Little & D. W. Brokensha in D. Anderson & R. Grove Conservation in Afr. (1999) ix. 202 Permits were sold for specific purposes, enabling local people to enter the forest to collect fallwood for fuel.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2017; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

fallint.n.3

Brit. /fɔːl/, U.S. /fɔl/, /fɑl/
Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from German. Partly a borrowing from Dutch. Etymons: German fall; Dutch val.
Etymology: < (i) German fall, interjection (1675 in the passage translated in quot. 1694), and its apparent etymon (ii) Dutch val, interjection (although it is first attested slightly later than the German word: 1684); further origin uncertain.The Dutch interjection is perhaps a special use of Dutch val fall n.2 as a command to board the boats upon the sighting of a whale. Alternatively, it could show a specific use of val , a rare variant (a1420 or earlier in Middle Dutch) of wal whale n.; compare also Dutch val sheatfish (1567, perhaps originally a variant of wal whale; for the sense, compare whale of the river at whale n. 3). In use as noun reinterpreted as < fall n.2
Whaling. Now historical.
A. int.
Used to summon attention when a whale is sighted, or seen to spout, or harpooned. In later use frequently in the form a fall!
ΚΠ
1694 tr. F. Martens Voy. Spitzbergen 145 in Narbrough's Acct. Several Late Voy. When they see Whales, or when they hear them blow or spout, they call in to the Ship, Fall, fall [Ger. wird im Schiffe geruffen fall fall].
1770 W. Guthrie New Geogr. Gram. 2 When the seamen see a whale spout, the word is immediately given, fall, fall [ed. 17 (1798) a fall, a fall].
c1790 J. Sanderson Voy. Hull to Greenland vi. 27 If it penetrate so as to fasten in him, they then hoist a jack in the boat... This being seen on board the ship, those on deck immediately call aloud, a fall, a fall, stamping with their feet and making a great noise.
1820 W. Scoresby Jrnl. 19 July in C. I. Jackson Arctic Whaling Jrnls. (2009) III. 185 We were rejoiced by the cry of ‘a fall’.
1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Fall! a Fall! the cry to denote that the harpoon has been effectively delivered into the body of a whale.
1900 Chambers' Jrnl 3 223/1 A fall! a fall! There she blows!
2003 N. Watson Dundee Whalers ii. 45 When a harpooner struck, his boat hoisted a signal flag and the cry that rang out from the ship's watch was ‘A fall! A fall!’
B. n.3
An act of going in pursuit of a particular whale or school of whales. loose fall n. (a) a chase in which all available boats are launched; (b) a chase in which no whales are caught.
ΚΠ
c1790 J. Sanderson Voy. Hull to Greenland vi. 27 If there be many fishes seen playing, they call a loose fall, sending out all their boats, and leaving only a few men on board.
1811 W. Scoresby Jrnl. 25 June in Arctic Whaling Jrnls. (2003) I. 47 In the night falling in with several large fish in a very open patch of Ice by the SW Pack made a loose fall and sent away 6 Boats.
1813 W. Scoresby Jrnl. 26 June in Arctic Whaling Jrnls. (2003) I. 207 In 45 Minutes after the Fall the Fish was killed.
1820 W. Scoresby Acct. Arctic Regions II. 534 Sometimes 10 or 12 fish are killed ‘at a fall’.
1850 R. A. Goodsir Arctic Voy. Baffin's Bay 67 The faces around me on deck begin to elongate, and their owners begin to think that it will prove but a ‘loose fall’ after all.
1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Loose fall, the losing of a whale after an apparently good opportunity for striking it.
1939 Naturalist (London) Apr. 103 In 1823..the crew of the Dexterity..are stated to have killed 20 and flensed 18 at a ‘fall’.
1992 R. Ellis Men & Whales vi. 210/2 As many as 10 or 15 whales might be killed at a single fall from one ship.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2017; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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