OUCH
I've found times in the past when I've come face to face with the etymology of a word or turn of phrase to be a real awakening. So easily language trips off the tongue, not fully realized, thought out, or engaged. I didn't think about "pulling out my hair" until during a certain design contract, at 4am, I found myself doing just that. Then there was "strung out," casual until you're cutting your dose of a mood stabilizer with a blunt steak knife to try and make it through the last bottle you can get in a 4 week period. Suddenly an idiom can take on real gravity. Segue...
I was heading out to meet Michael for dinner monday night, wearing high heels, and the carpet was loose on the top of our stairs. I fell directly from the top, flew headlong down twelve steep ones, and around a corner. my face face-planted on the twist in the landing. The bright red lipstick smear is still there.
I spent the night in the emergency room. my entire body is carpet burned and covered with lacerations. All the skin is off the left side of my face, I have a black eye, badly swollen jaw, 5 stitches on my lip. I also knocked out my front tooth. Just think "elephant man" and that is what i look like :(
i am on tylenol threes and i have a series of appts. with and oral surgeon over the next weeks. Right now i have braces across my front three teeth holding it all together. The pain in my lip and jaw is pretty unbearable.
And so.. "to fall"
1. To descend or drop freely and involuntarily, especially accidentally, by force of gravity.
Thesaurus: plunge, descend, sink, drop, decline, subside, collapse, cave in; Antonym: rise, ascend,
2. Said of rain, snow, etc: to come down from the sky; to precipitate.
3. Said eg of hair: to hang down.
4. Said of a blow, glance, shadow, light, etc: to land.
Example: The blow fell sharply on his jaw
Example: The light of the moon fell on the trees
Form: fall on something (usually)
7. To go naturally or easily into position.
Example: fell open at page 698. Said of a government, leader, etc: to lose power; to be no longer able to govern.
9. Said of a stronghold: to be captured.
10. Said of defences or barriers: to be lowered or broken down.
11. To die or be badly wounded in battle, etc.
12. To give in to temptation; to sin.
13. Said eg of value, temperature, etc: to become less.
14. Said of sound: to diminish.
15. Said eg of silence: to intervene.
16. Said of darkness or night: to arrive.
17. To pass into a certain state; to begin to be in that state.
Example: fall asleep
Example: fall in love
Example: fall unconscious
18. To be grouped or classified in a certain way.
Example: falls into two categories
19. To occur at a certain time or place.
Example: The accent falls on the first syllable
20. Said of someone's face: to show disappointment.
AND PERHAPS MORE INTERESTING:
Idiom: break someone's fall
To stop them landing with the full impact of a free fall; to cushion their fall.
Idiom: fall between two stools
To be neither one thing nor the other.
To succeed in neither of two alternatives.
Idiom: fall flat on one's face
To come to grief; to fail dismally.
Idiom: fall from grace
Said of a person: to lose standing.
Idiom: fall foul of someone or something
To get into trouble or conflict with them or it.
Idiom: fall head over heels
To fall hopelessly (in love).
Idiom: fall on one's feet
To come out of a difficult situation advantageously.
To gain an unexpectedly good fortune.
Idiom: fall over oneself (fall over backwards)
colloq To be strenuously or noticeably eager to please or help.
Idiom: fall short (fall short of something)
To turn out not to be enough; to be insufficient.
Thesaurus: be deficient, be lacking, come short.
To fail to attain or reach what is aimed at. See also shortfall.
Thesaurus: fail, be deficient, be lacking, come short.
Idiom: fall to pieces (fall to bits)
Said of something: to break up; to disintegrate.
Said of someone: to be unable to carry on or function normally, especially because of overwhelming grief, etc.
Example: fell to pieces when his wife died
Anyway, I'll think more carefully about this word from now on.
Tuesday evening, upon leaving for dinner:
And upon arriving home from the ER:
RANDOM FACT ABOUT ME: I got a new kitten :)
I was heading out to meet Michael for dinner monday night, wearing high heels, and the carpet was loose on the top of our stairs. I fell directly from the top, flew headlong down twelve steep ones, and around a corner. my face face-planted on the twist in the landing. The bright red lipstick smear is still there.
I spent the night in the emergency room. my entire body is carpet burned and covered with lacerations. All the skin is off the left side of my face, I have a black eye, badly swollen jaw, 5 stitches on my lip. I also knocked out my front tooth. Just think "elephant man" and that is what i look like :(
i am on tylenol threes and i have a series of appts. with and oral surgeon over the next weeks. Right now i have braces across my front three teeth holding it all together. The pain in my lip and jaw is pretty unbearable.
And so.. "to fall"
1. To descend or drop freely and involuntarily, especially accidentally, by force of gravity.
Thesaurus: plunge, descend, sink, drop, decline, subside, collapse, cave in; Antonym: rise, ascend,
2. Said of rain, snow, etc: to come down from the sky; to precipitate.
3. Said eg of hair: to hang down.
4. Said of a blow, glance, shadow, light, etc: to land.
Example: The blow fell sharply on his jaw
Example: The light of the moon fell on the trees
Form: fall on something (usually)
7. To go naturally or easily into position.
Example: fell open at page 698. Said of a government, leader, etc: to lose power; to be no longer able to govern.
9. Said of a stronghold: to be captured.
10. Said of defences or barriers: to be lowered or broken down.
11. To die or be badly wounded in battle, etc.
12. To give in to temptation; to sin.
13. Said eg of value, temperature, etc: to become less.
14. Said of sound: to diminish.
15. Said eg of silence: to intervene.
16. Said of darkness or night: to arrive.
17. To pass into a certain state; to begin to be in that state.
Example: fall asleep
Example: fall in love
Example: fall unconscious
18. To be grouped or classified in a certain way.
Example: falls into two categories
19. To occur at a certain time or place.
Example: The accent falls on the first syllable
20. Said of someone's face: to show disappointment.
AND PERHAPS MORE INTERESTING:
Idiom: break someone's fall
To stop them landing with the full impact of a free fall; to cushion their fall.
Idiom: fall between two stools
To be neither one thing nor the other.
To succeed in neither of two alternatives.
Idiom: fall flat on one's face
To come to grief; to fail dismally.
Idiom: fall from grace
Said of a person: to lose standing.
Idiom: fall foul of someone or something
To get into trouble or conflict with them or it.
Idiom: fall head over heels
To fall hopelessly (in love).
Idiom: fall on one's feet
To come out of a difficult situation advantageously.
To gain an unexpectedly good fortune.
Idiom: fall over oneself (fall over backwards)
colloq To be strenuously or noticeably eager to please or help.
Idiom: fall short (fall short of something)
To turn out not to be enough; to be insufficient.
Thesaurus: be deficient, be lacking, come short.
To fail to attain or reach what is aimed at. See also shortfall.
Thesaurus: fail, be deficient, be lacking, come short.
Idiom: fall to pieces (fall to bits)
Said of something: to break up; to disintegrate.
Said of someone: to be unable to carry on or function normally, especially because of overwhelming grief, etc.
Example: fell to pieces when his wife died
Anyway, I'll think more carefully about this word from now on.
Tuesday evening, upon leaving for dinner:
And upon arriving home from the ER:
RANDOM FACT ABOUT ME: I got a new kitten :)
posted by LEAH FRANCES @ 6:42 PM
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