fall (squarely) on (someone's) shoulders
To be or become the sole responsibility of someone. I never intended for the company's well-being to fall on your shoulders, but you're the only one who can take over for me while I'm ill. With my father gone, putting food on the table for the family now falls squarely on my shoulders.
fall asleep at the wheel
To fail to attend to one's responsibilities or duties; to be inattentive to that which is important or for which one is responsible. Johnson was supposed to make sure the paperwork went through before the deadline, but it looks like he fell asleep at the wheel. Our goalkeeper is such a nincompoop. We would have won that match if he hadn't fallen asleep at the wheel!
fall asleep at the switch
To fail to attend to one's responsibilities or duties; to be inattentive to that which is important or for which one is responsible. Johnson was supposed to make sure the paperwork went through before the deadline, but it looks like he fell asleep at the switch. Our goalkeeper is such a nincompoop. We would have won that match if he hadn't fallen asleep at the switch!
fall under the spell of (someone)
To come under the influence or control of someone because one finds him or her fascinating, enchanting, or seductive. Our son has never acted out like this before. I think he must have fallen under the spell of that new friend of his. Such was the magnitude of her beauty that countless men have fallen under the spell of the duchess.
escape the bear and fall to the lion
To avoid a frightening or problematic situation, only to end up in a worse one later. A: "After I swerved to avoid hitting a pedestrian, I wound up in oncoming traffic, and my car was totalled." B: "That's awful. You escaped the bear and fell to the lion."
fall (a)foul
To become disliked or to come in conflict with due to one's actions, often resulting in further trouble or conflict. Used in the phrase "fall (a)foul of (someone or something)." Since you're new here, be careful not to fall afoul of Bill—he'll keep you off of every case if he's mad at you. I fell foul of the committee, and now, I'm not sure how to improve my reputation.
fall into (one's) lap
To be received unexpectedly or without effort. I didn't steal the internship from you—it fell into my lap, I swear! Your aunt has decided to get a new car, so her old one might fall into your lap.
fall over backward
To expend a lot of energy or effort to do something; to inconvenience oneself. I can't believe how ungrateful you're being, especially since we fell over backward planning this dinner party for you! Please don't fall over backward preparing for my visit—I'm totally prepared to sleep on your floor!
fall victim
To fall prey to something. I fell victim to peer pressure, and I started drinking at the party. Please be careful not to fall victim to senioritis—you can't stop doing your work this close to graduation.
hush fell over
A sudden silence occurred (among those present) in an otherwise noisy setting. A hush fell over the audience as the famous pianist took the stage.
the wheels fell off
slang An unexpected problem arose, with (real or hyperbolically) disastrous effects. The job interview was going well, but the wheels fell off once I started rambling about my personal life. My plan was to have dinner ready by the time you got home, but the wheels fell off when the washer flooded.
at one fell swoop
and in one fell swoopFig. in a single incident; as a single event. (This phrase preserves the old word fell, meaning "terrible" or "deadly.") The party guests ate up all the snacks at one fell swoop. When the stock market crashed, many large fortunes were wiped out in one fell swoop.
bottom fell out (of something)
Fig. a much lower limit or level of something was reached. The bottom fell out of the market and I lost a lot of money.
a hush fell over someone or something
Fig. a sudden silence enveloped something or a group. As the conductor raised his arms, a hush fell over the audience. The coach shouted and a hush fell over the locker room.
just fell off the turnip truck
Rur. ignorant; unsophisticated. He stood there gawking at the buildings in town like he just fell off the turnip truck. My cousin acts like she just fell off the turnip truck.
Little strokes fell great oaks.
Prov. You can complete a large, intimidating task by steadily doing small parts of it. Jill: How can I possibly write a fifty-page report in two months? Jane: Just write a little bit every day. Little strokes fell great oaks.