fall on

fall on idiom
    Also, fall upon.
  1. Attack suddenly and viciously, as in They fell on the guards and overpowered them. [c. 1400]
  2. Meet with, encounter, as in They fell on hard times. [Late 1500s]
  3. Find by chance, discover, as in We fell upon the idea last Saturday night. [Mid-1600s]
  4. Be the responsibility or duty of someone, as in It fell on Clara to support the entire family. [Mid-1800s] Also see the subsequent idioms beginning with fall on.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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