fall on one's face

Idioms and Phrases

Also, fall flat on one's face . Make a blunder or error of judgment, as in Holly fell on her face whenever she forecast earnings , or That weatherman keeps falling flat on his face with his predictions . This term, first recorded in 1614, originally had the literal meaning of “prostrate oneself in reverence.” The present colloquial usage, however, transfers a physical fall to various kinds of bungling.