take a fall

Lose your footing

To take a fall is to fall down, especially dramatically or deliberately.

Stunt performers take falls for a living.

In sports, particularly wrestling and boxing, taking a fall means losing intentionally: The boxer was paid to take a fall in the third round.

The phrase can also mean accepting blame or punishment, often for someone else's benefit: He took a fall for his boss and served two years.

Related

trip · blame · frame-up · set up · collapse · hit the ground · boxing · patsy · defeat · sacrifice · descend · accident · staged accident · failure · setback · accountability · decline · drop

Categories
Opposites
physical stability

take a fallstand firm

Refuse to retreat

hold one's ground · land on one's feet · get up · rise

DELIBERATE FAILURE (idiom)

take a fallplay to win

Pursue triumph, not pastime

go all out · leave it all on the field

ACCEPTING BLAME (idiom)

take a fallwalk free

Avoid legal consequences

beat the rap · shift the blame · pass the buck · get away with it · point the finger

Family

take, takes, taken, taking, taker, takers, takeover, takeovers, uptake

Familiarity
Top 100,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G