ride for a fall

Idioms

Court danger or disaster, as in I think that anyone who backs the incumbent is riding for a fall. This idiom alludes to the reckless rider who risks a bad spill. [Late 1800s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"My experience is," observed Captain Heseltine, looking up from the Stud Book, "that chaps who ride for a fall come more unholy crumplers than anybody else."

From Half a Hero A Novel by Hope, Anthony

The jockeys ride high on the horses' shoulders and they ride for a fall.

From Seeds of Pine by Canuck, Janey

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023