FAIR-WEATHER FRIEND, FALL BY THE WAYSIDE, FALL FOR (SOMETHING): American English Idioms #66

FAIR-WEATHER FRIEND

A fair weather friend is someone who only hangs around you when you are doing well. When things are going badly, they are nowhere to be found.

A fair weather friend is someone who you can rely on to be there for you during good times, but won’t stand up for you during hard ones.

A “fair weather friend” is someone who offers you sympathy and support but has little to do with you when times are good.  These people are not loyal, they only offer the same amount of love that they receive.

A fair-weather friend, or a person who is only loyal and committed to you when it suits them, and not when things get difficult.

FALL BY THE WAYSIDE

Fall by the wayside is an idiom meaning to fail. The phrase was first used to describe what happens when people lose interest in their life’s goals or cause them to give up on themselves. Fall by the wayside has evolved over the centuries so that it now means any instance of giving up during a race. This use of the phrase includes both literal and figurative uses, such as in social, political, and economic contexts.

This is an idiom in which one or more people are left behind when the others go on. The implication is that they will give up when they’re not with the group. The term has been interpreted to mean that when someone falls by the wayside, they are then passed over or ignored. When someone talks about idiom “fall by the wayside,” it usually means something negative happened to them because of their association with other people who have done bad things.

The idiom “fall by the wayside” means to be forgotten once it has served its purpose. The phrase has been adapted to describe things that have become outdated, or are being treated as though they were outdated.

When we say that someone falls by the wayside, we imply that they fail to make their mark and miss out on the chance to succeed.

The expression “fall by the wayside” means to be neglected over time. This expression is often used when implying that the person being spoken about will have ended up alone or lonely, not having received any of the love and care they deserve. One circumstance in which this expression could apply is if a person were to get sick and die before anyone else in their family had passed away, leaving them without any immediate family members left who are able to take care of them.

FALL FOR (SOMETHING)

A person might “fall for something” if they’re seduced by a product or service and say yes to a purchase. For example, if a restaurant is offering a discount on their meal per person when you buy at least two entrées, your friend might fall for it and decide to pay double the price.

To fall for something idiomatically means to believe or understand someone’s argument or piece of evidence. Fall for is an idiom which is synonymous with “believe in” (though it can also be used to mean “falling in love”). The idiom falls out of use in the early decades of the twentieth century, but this doesn’t mean it can’t be found from time to time.

The idiom “fall for something” means to believe a plan, person, or idea.

To “fall for something” is to be duped by a person or idea. This phrase came about as a result of the Civil War and the aftermath of defeat. Of the many causes, the primarily cause was that northerners were duped into believing that Southerners really wanted to end slavery; unfortunately, they thought it possible to end it peacefully with no consequences.

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