fall to

verb

1. (adverb) to begin some activity, as eating, working, or fighting

2. (preposition) to devolve on (a person)

   the task fell to me

3. (of a plan, theory, etc) to be rendered invalid, esp because of lack of necessary information

Idioms and Phrases

Energetically begin an activity, set to work, as in As soon as they had the right tools, they fell to work on the house. This expression is also often used to mean “begin to eat.” Charles Dickens so used it in American Notes (1842): “We fall-to upon these dainties.” [Late 1500s]

Related Words

• begin