[fair and square]{adv. phr.}, {informal} Without cheating; honestly. •/He won the game fair and square./

[fair catch]{n.} A catch of a kicked football by a player after he holds up his hand to show that he will not run with the ball. •/He saw that he would not be able to run with the ball, so he signalled for a fair catch./

[fair-haired boy]{n.}, {informal} A person that gets special favors; favorite; pet. •/If he wins the election by a large majority, he will become his party’s fair-haired boy./ •/The local boy playing first base could do no wrong; he was the fair-haired boy of the fans./ •/Charles was a good student and behaved very well; he became the teacher’s fair-haired boy./

[fair play]{n.} Equal and right action (to another person); justice. •/The visiting team did not get fair play in the game./ •/The judges decided against Bob, but he said that he had gotten fair play./ •/Sally’s sense of fair play made her a favorite with her classmates./

[fair sex]{n.}, {informal} Women in general; the female sex. •/"Better not use four-letter words in front of a member of the fair sex," Joe said./

[fair shake]{n.}, {informal} Honest treatment. •/Joe has always given me a fair shake./

[fair-weather friend]{n.} A person who is a friend only when you are successful. •/Everyone knows that John’s only a fair-weather friend./

[fairy godmother]{n.} 1. A fairy believed to help and take care of a baby as it grows up. 2. A person who helps and does much for another. •/The rich man played fairy godmother to the boys and had a baseball field made for them./ •/Jane was a fairy godmother to her poorer friends./

[fairy tale] or [story] {n.} An inaccurate, even false account of something; a result of wishful thinking. •/Jeff said he was going to be promoted soon, but we all suspect that it is only one of his customary fairy tales./

[faith] See: GOOD FAITH, ON FAITH.

[fall] See: BOTTOM DROP OUT or BOTTOM FALL OUT, RIDING FOR A FALL.

[fall all over]{v. phr.}, {informal} To show too much love or thanks toward (someone). •/She must love him. Every time you see them, she’s falling all over him./ •/When Bob found the lady’s ring and returned it, she fell all over him./

[fall asleep at the switch]{v. phr.} To fail to perform an expected task; be remiss in one’s duty. •/The two airplanes wouldn’t have collided, if the control tower operator hadn’t fallen asleep at the switch./ •/The dean promised our department $250,000 but the foundation never sent the money because someone in the dean’s office fell asleep at the switch./

[fall away]{v. phr.} To decline; diminish. •/I was shocked to see how haggard Alan looked; he seems to be falling away to a shadow./

[fall back]{v.} To move back; go back. — Usually used with a group as subject. •/The army fell back before their stubborn enemies./ •/The crowd around the hurt boy fell back when someone shouted "Give him air!"/ Compare: DROP BACK, GIVE WAY.

[fall back on] or [fall back upon] v. 1. To retreat to. •/The enemy made a strong attack, and the soldiers fell back on the fort./ 2. To go for help to; turn to in time of need. •/When the big bills for Mother’s hospital care came, Joe was glad he had money in the bank to fall back on./ •/If Mr. Jones can’t find a job as a teacher, he can fall back on his skill as a printer./

[fall behind]{v.} To go slower than others and be far behind them. •/When the campers took a hike in the woods, two boys fell behind and got lost./ •/Frank’s lessons were too hard for him, and he soon fell behind the rest of the class./ •/Mary was not promoted because she dreamed too much and fell behind in her lessons./

[fall by the wayside] also [drop by the wayside] {v. phr.} To give up or fail before the finish. •/The boys tried to make a 50-mile hike, but most of them fell by the wayside./ •/George, Harry, and John entered college to become teachers, but Harry and John fell by the wayside, and only George graduated./

[fall down on the job]{v. phr.}, {informal} To fail to work well. •/The boss was disappointed when his workers fell down on the job./

[fall due] or [come] or [become due] {v. phr.} To reach the time when a bill or invoice is to be paid. •/Our car payment falls due on the first of every month./

[fall flat]{v.}, {informal} To be a failure; fail. •/The party fell flat because of the rain./ •/His joke fell flat because no one understood it./

[fall for]{v.}, {slang} 1. To begin to like very much. •/Dick fell for baseball when he was a little boy./ 2. To begin to love (a boy or a girl.) •/Helen was a very pretty girl and people were not surprised that Bill fell for her./ 3. To believe (something told to fool you.) •/Nell did not fall for Joe’s story about being a jet pilot./

[fall from grace]{v. phr.} To go back to a bad way of behaving; do something bad again. •/The boys behaved well during dinner until they fell from grace by eating their dessert with their fingers instead of their forks./ •/The boy fell from grace when he lied./

[fall guy]{n.}, {slang} The "patsy" in an illegal transaction; a sucker; a dupe; the person who takes the punishment others deserve. •/When the Savings and Loan Bank failed, due to embezzlement, the vice president had to be the fall guy, saving the necks of the owners./

[fall in]{v.} 1. To go and stand properly in a row like soldiers. •/The captain told his men to fall in./ Contrast: FALL OUT(3). 2. to collapse. •/The explosion caused the walls of the house to fall in./

[fall in for]{v.} To receive; get. •/The boy fell in for some sympathy when he broke his leg./ •/The team manager fell in for most of the blame when his team lost the playoffs./

[falling-out]{n.} Argument; disagreement; quarrel. •/Mary and Jane had a falling-out about who owned the book./ •/The boys had a falling-out when each said that the other had broken the rules./

[fall in line] or [fall into line] See: IN LINE, INTO LINE.

[fall in love] See: IN LOVE.

[fall in] or [into place] {v. phr.} To suddenly make sense; find the natural or proper place for the missing pieces of a puzzle. •/When the detectives realized that a second man was seen at the place of the murder, the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place./

[fall in with]{v.}, {informal} 1. To meet by accident. •/Mary fell in with some of her friends downtown./ 2. To agree to help with; support. •/I fell in with Jack’s plan to play a trick on his father./ 3. To become associated with a group detrimental to the newcomer. •/John fell in with a wild bunch; small wonder he flunked all of his courses./ Compare: PLAY ALONG.

[fall into the habit of]{v. phr.} To develop the custom of doing something. •/Jack has fallen into the bad habit of playing poker for large sums of money every night./

[fall off] See: DROP OFF(4).

[fall off the wagon]{v. phr.}, {slang}, {alcoholism and drug culture} To return to the consumption of an addictive, such as alcohol or drugs, after a period of abstinence. •/Poor Joe has fallen off the wagon again — he is completely incoherent today./