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F A L 
To fink below fomething in comparifon : 
Fame of thy beauty and thy youth, 
Among the reft me hither brought, 
Finding this fam t fall (hort of truth, 
Made me ftay longer titan I thought. Waller. 
To happen; to befal.—-Oft it falls out, that while one 
thinks too much of his doing, he leaves to do the eftedt 
of this thinking. Sidney. 
O, how feeble is man’s power, 
That if good fortune fall , _ 
Cannot add another hour, 
Nor a loft hour recall ! _ Donne, 
Toconte by chance ; to light on.—The Romans^/?// upon 
this model by chance, but-the Spartans by thought and 
defign. Swift. —To come to a (fated method.—The odd 
hours at the end of the folar year, are not indeed fully lix, 
but are deficient io' 44"; which deficiency, in 134 years, 
collected, amounts to a whole day: and hence may be 
feen the reafon why the vernal equinox, which at the 
time of the Nicene council fell upon the 21ft of March, 
falls now about ten days fooner. Holder on Time. —To come 
unexpectedly.—It happened this evening that we fell into 
a very pleafing walk, at a diftancefrom his houfe. AddiJ'on. 
—To begin any thing with ardour and vehemence.— 
And the next multitude fell a luffing. Num. —They fell 
to blows, infomuch that the Argonauts flew the inoft part 
of the Deliones. Id Eft range. —To handle or treat diredtly. 
—We muff immediately fall into our fubjeft, and treat 
every part of it in a lively manner. Addifon. —To come 
vindictively : as a puniftiment.—There fell wrath for it 
againft Ifrael. 2 Citron. —To come by any mifchance to 
any new poffeffor.—The flout bifliop could not well 
brook that his province fhould fall into their hands, 
Knolles. —To drop or pafs, by careleflhefs or imprudence. 
—Some expreflions fell from him, not very favourable to 
the people of Ireland. Swift. —To come forcibly and ir- 
refiffibly.—Fear fell on them all. AEls, xix. 17. 
A kind refrefhing deep is fallen upon him : 
1 fau' him ftretcht at eafe, his fancy loft 
In pleafing dreams. Addifon. 
To become tire property of any one by lot, chance, inhe¬ 
ritance, or otherwife.—You fhall fee a great eftat et fall to 
you, which you would have loft the relilli of, had you 
known yourfelf born to it. Addifon. 
If to her fhare fome female errors fall. 
Look on her face, and you’ll forget them all. Pope. 
To languifh ; to grow faint.—Their hopes or fears for 
the common caufe rofe or fell with your lordfliip’s intereff. 
Addifon .—To be born ; to be yeaned.—Lambs nmft have 
care taken of them at their firft falling ; elfe, while they 
are weak, the crows and magpies will be apt to pick out 
their eyes. Mortimer. 
To Fall away. To grow lean. — Watery vegetables 
are proper, and fifir rather than flefh : in a Lent diet peo- 
ple Commonly fall away. Arbuthinot. —To revolt; to change 
allegiance.—The fugitives fell away to the king of Baby¬ 
lon. 2 Kings. —To apoftatize ; to (ink into wickednefs.— 
Thefe for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall 
away. Luke, viii. 13.—Say not thou, it is through the 
Lord that I fell away ; for thou oughteft not to do the 
things that he hafeth. Ecc/cf xv.—Toperifli ; to he loft. 
—How can it enter into, the thoughts of man, that the 
foul, which is capable of fuch immenfe perfection, and 
of receiving new improvement to all eternity, (hall fall 
away into nothing, almoft as (oon as it is created ? Addfon. 
Still propagate ; for (fill they fall away ; 
’ Lis prudence to prevent entire decay. Dryden. 
To decline gradually; to fade; to languid).—In a cu¬ 
rious brede of needlework one colour falls away by fuch 
juft degrees, and another rifles lo infenlibly, that we fee 
the variety, without being able to diftinguilh the total va- 
F A L 
nifiling of the one from the firft appearance of the other. 
Addifon. 
To Fall back. To fail of a promife or purpofe.—We 
have often fallen back from our refolutions. Taylor. —To 
recede ; to give way. 
To Fall down : \_down is fometimes added to fall , though 
it adds little to the. fignification. ] To pro (Irate himfelfm 
adoration. — All kings (hall fall doion before him : all na¬ 
tions (hall fierce him. PJ'al. Ixxii. n.—Shall I fall down 
to the dock of a tree? Ifa. xliv. 19.—To fink; not to 
ftand.—As die was fpeaking, file fell down for faintilefs. 
Efk. xv. 
Down fell the beauteous youth ; the yawning wound 
Gufh’d out a purple ftream, and ftain’d the ground. Dryd. 
To bend as a fuppliant.—They fhall fall down unto thee ; 
they lhall make fupplication unto thee. Ifa. y. lv. 14. 
“ If a man Fall, tread on him-all.”—The French fay, 
Qpiand I’arbre ef a terre, tout le monde court aux branches : 
When the tree is fallen, every one will have a fhare of the 
branches. The Italians, Al canecke invccchib la volpi gli 
pifcia adoffo. —Nothing can more forcibly exprefs the in¬ 
humanity and felfilhnefs of bafe minds, than this proverb. 
To F Ahbfrom. To revolt ; to depart from adherence. 
—The emperor being much folicited by the Scots not to 
be a help to ruin their kingdom, fell by degrees from the 
king of England. Hayward. 
To Fall in. To concur; to coincide.—Objections 
fall in here, and are the cleared: and mod convincing argu¬ 
ments of the truth. Woodward. —When the war was be¬ 
gun, there foon fell in other incidents at home, which 
made the continuance of it neceffary. Swift.— To comply ; 
to yield to.—Our fine young ladies readiiy fall in with the 
direction of the graver fort. SpcFlator. 
To Fall off. To feparate ; to be broken : 
Rove cools, friendfhip falls off, brothers divide 1 
In cities, mutinies ; in countries, difeord. Shakefpcare. 
To perifh ; to die away.—Languages need recruits to fup- 
ply the place of thofe words that are continually falling 
o^ through dilufe. Felton. —To apoftatize ; to revolt ; to 
torfake.—Were I always grave, one half of my readers 
would fall off from me. Spectator. 
What caufe 
Mov’d our grand parents, in that happy ftate, 
Favour’d of Heav’n fo highly, to fall off 
From their Creator, and tranfgrefs his will ? Milton. 
To Fall on. To begin eagerly to do any thing : 
Some coarfe cold fallad is before thee fet; ' 
Bread with the bran, perhaps, and broken meat ; 
Fall on, and try thy appetite to eat. Dryden. 
To make an affault ; to begin the attack.—Draw all ; and 
when I give the word, fall on. (Edipus. 
Fall on, pall on, and hear him not ; 
But fpare his perfon for his father’s fake. Dryden. 
To Fall over. To revolt; to defert from one fide to 
the other: 
And do’ft thou now fall over to my foes ? 
Thou wear a lion’s hide ! doff it, for fttame, 
And hang a calve’s fkin on thofe recreant limbs. Skakfp. 
To Fall out. To quarrel; to jar; to grow conten¬ 
tious.—How fell you out, fay that ?— Shakefpcare. 
A foul exafperated in ills , falls out 
With every thing, its friend, itfelf. Addifon. 
To happen; to befall.—Who think you is my Dorns 
fallen out to be ! Sidney. —If it fo fall out that you are mifer- 
able for ever, thou haft no reafon to be furprifed, as if 
fome unexpected thing had happened. Tillotfm. 
To Fall to. To begin eagerly to eat : 
The men were faftiion’d in a larger mould, , 
The women fit for labour, big and bold ; 
Gigantic 
