fall asleep
To be affected by paresthesia; to go numb.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“My leg fell asleep after sitting for too long.”
“She stood up slowly because her foot had fallen asleep during the long movie.”
“The hiker shifted his weight, wincing as his cramped left arm, which had fallen asleep against the rock, prickled back to life.”
- 01
asleep at the switch
Neglectful of an important task, responsibility, or opportunity.
- 02
catch a falling knife
To buy a financial instrument whose price is falling rapidly.
- 03
dead asleep
Sleeping in a deep sleep
- 04
fall apart
To be emotionally in crisis.
- 05
fall around
To fall over continually, especially through drunkenness, clumsiness, or incompetence.
- 06
fall at the last hurdle
To fail near the end of an activity, a project, etc.
- 07
fall behind
To be late (for a regular event)
- 08
fall between the cracks
To wind up in an unexpected situation which is, inadvertently, invisible to or not handled by whatever process one had hoped to be subject to; to be overlooked.
Last updated August 10, 2026