Autumn is a special time of year. The leaves turn red, orange, and yellow. The weather gets cooler, and kids wear jackets to school. People drink hot apple cider and carve pumpkins. It’s also the season of falling leaves, cozy sweaters, and getting ready for winter.
Just like we use different clothes in autumn, we also use fun and special phrases to talk about it. These are called idioms. Idioms are phrases that don’t mean exactly what they say. They have a different meaning that people understand when they hear them. In this article, we will learn some idioms that people use during autumn. They help us describe the season in interesting and colorful ways. Let’s find out what they mean and how we can use them.
Idioms for Autumn
1. Turn over a new leaf
Meaning: Start fresh or make a positive change.
Give an Instance: After summer break, I decided to turn over a new leaf and study harder.
Substitute Meaning: Start anew / Make a fresh start
2. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree
Meaning: Children often resemble their parents.
Give an Instance: Just like her mom, Sarah loves painting. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Substitute Meaning: Like parent, like child / Similar to one’s parents
3. Reap what you sow
Meaning: You get results based on your actions.
Give an Instance: He studied hard and got an A. You reap what you sow.
Substitute Meaning: Get what you deserve / Actions have consequences
4. Squirrel away
Meaning: Save something for later.
Give an Instance: She squirreled away her Halloween candy to enjoy it slowly.
Substitute Meaning: Save up / Store for future use
5. Rake it in
Meaning: Earn a lot of money.
Give an Instance: The lemonade stand was popular; they raked it in.
Substitute Meaning: Make a lot of money / Earn big
6. As easy as pie
Meaning: Very simple to do.
Give an Instance: Solving that math problem was as easy as pie.
Substitute Meaning: Very easy / Simple task
7. Under the weather
Meaning: Feeling sick.
Give an Instance: He stayed home from school because he was under the weather.
Substitute Meaning: Feeling ill / Not feeling well
8. Be nuts about something
Meaning: Like something a lot.
Give an Instance: She’s nuts about pumpkin pie and eats it every fall.
Substitute Meaning: Love a lot / Crazy about
9. Sweater weather
Meaning: Cool weather suitable for wearing sweaters.
Give an Instance: It’s finally sweater weather; time to wear my favorite hoodie.
Substitute Meaning: Cool weather / Chilly season
10. Get wind of something
Meaning: Hear a rumor or secret.
Give an Instance: I got wind of the surprise party planned for Jake.
Substitute Meaning: Hear about / Learn of
11. Fall into place
Meaning: Things start to work out well.
Give an Instance: After practicing, the dance routine fell into place.
Substitute Meaning: Work out / Come together
12. Fall through the cracks
Meaning: Be overlooked or forgotten.
Give an Instance: His homework fell through the cracks during the busy week.
Substitute Meaning: Be missed / Overlooked
13. Fall into someone’s lap
Meaning: Receive something unexpectedly.
Give an Instance: A free ticket to the concert fell into my lap.
Substitute Meaning: Get by chance / Unexpectedly receive
14. Fall into the wrong hands
Meaning: Something ends up with someone who shouldn’t have it.
Give an Instance: Make sure your password doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.
Substitute Meaning: Misused / Taken by the wrong person
15. Fall short
Meaning: Not meet expectations.
Give an Instance: Our team fell short of winning the championship.
Substitute Meaning: Not enough / Miss the mark
16. Fall off the radar
Meaning: Be forgotten or ignored.
Give an Instance: That old TV show fell off the radar years ago.
Substitute Meaning: Forgotten / Not noticed
17. Take the fall
Meaning: Accept blame for something.
Give an Instance: He took the fall for the broken window to protect his friend.
Substitute Meaning: Accept blame / Be blamed
18. Fall head over heels
Meaning: Be deeply in love.
Give an Instance: They fell head over heels for each other at the school dance.
Substitute Meaning: Deeply in love / Love a lot
19. Fall for something
Meaning: Be tricked or deceived.
Give an Instance: I can’t believe I fell for that prank.
Substitute Meaning: Be fooled / Be tricked
20. Fall flat
Meaning: Fail to impress or succeed.
Give an Instance: His joke fell flat; no one laughed.
Substitute Meaning: Fail / Not succeed
21. Fall on deaf ears
Meaning: Be ignored or not listened to.
Give an Instance: Her advice fell on deaf ears.
Substitute Meaning: Ignored / Not heard
22. Fall apart
Meaning: Break into pieces or fail.
Give an Instance: The old book fell apart in my hands.
Substitute Meaning: Break down / Disintegrate
23. Fall in line
Meaning: Follow rules or conform.
Give an Instance: Students must fall in line during fire drills.
Substitute Meaning: Obey / Follow rules
24. Fall back on
Meaning: Use something for support when needed.
Give an Instance: If my plan fails, I can fall back on my savings.
Substitute Meaning: Rely on / Use as backup
25. Fall behind
Meaning: Not keep up with others.
Give an Instance: He fell behind in his reading assignments.
Substitute Meaning: Lag / Not keep up
26. Fall into a trap
Meaning: Be caught in a tricky situation.
Give an Instance: She fell into a trap by clicking the fake link.
Substitute Meaning: Be deceived / Get caught
27. Fall through
Meaning: Fail to happen.
Give an Instance: Our picnic plans fell through because of the rain.
Substitute Meaning: Be canceled / Not happen
28. Fall in love
Meaning: Begin to love someone.
Give an Instance: They fell in love during the school play.
Substitute Meaning: Start loving / Develop feelings
29. Fall out
Meaning: Have a disagreement or fight.
Give an Instance: They fell out over a game of basketball.
Substitute Meaning: Argue / Disagree
30. Fall asleep
Meaning: Begin sleeping.
Give an Instance: I fell asleep during the movie.
Substitute Meaning: Go to sleep / Doze off
31. Fall into place
Meaning: Things become clear or organized.
Give an Instance: After studying, the math problems fell into place.
Substitute Meaning: Make sense / Become clear
32. Fall on hard times
Meaning: Experience difficulties.
Give an Instance: After losing his job, he fell on hard times.
Substitute Meaning: Face troubles / Have difficulties
33. Fall prey to
Meaning: Be harmed or deceived.
Give an Instance: She fell prey to the scam.
Substitute Meaning: Be victimized / Be deceived
34. Fall off the wagon
Meaning: Return to a bad habit.
Give an Instance: He fell off the wagon and started eating junk food again.
Substitute Meaning: Relapse / Return to bad habits
35. Fall into oblivion
Meaning: Be forgotten.
Give an Instance: The old song fell into oblivion over the years.
Substitute Meaning: Be forgotten / Fade away
36. Fall from grace
Meaning: Lose status or respect.
Give an Instance: The athlete fell from grace after the scandal.
Substitute Meaning: Lose honor / Be disgraced
37. Fall into disrepair
Meaning: Become broken or neglected.
Give an Instance: The playground fell into disrepair without maintenance. / The barn fell into disrepair after many winters.
Substitute Meaning: Got ruined / Became broken
38. Fall into rhythm
Meaning: Get used to a pattern or routine.
Give an Instance: After a week of school, I fell into rhythm with homework and chores. / The team fell into rhythm during practice.
Substitute Meaning: Get used to / Find a pattern
39. Fall through the net
Meaning: Be missed or forgotten by a system.
Give an Instance: He didn’t get the help he needed because he fell through the net. / Sometimes quiet students fall through the net.
Substitute Meaning: Be overlooked / Not noticed
40. Fall like dominoes
Meaning: Happen one after another quickly.
Give an Instance: Once one kid caught a cold, the others fell like dominoes. / After one light went out, the rest fell like dominoes.
Substitute Meaning: One after another / Quickly follow
41. Fall on one’s face
Meaning: Fail in a very noticeable way.
Give an Instance: He fell on his face during the spelling bee. / The plan to skip homework fell on its face.
Substitute Meaning: Fail badly / Mess up
42. Fall to pieces
Meaning: Become very upset or broken.
Give an Instance: She fell to pieces after losing her pet. / The toy fell to pieces after it broke.
Substitute Meaning: Break down / Get very upset
43. Fall in with the wrong crowd
Meaning: Spend time with people who make bad choices.
Give an Instance: He got into trouble after falling in with the wrong crowd. / She changed when she fell in with the wrong crowd.
Substitute Meaning: Hang out with bad people / Make bad friends
44. Fall into the habit
Meaning: Begin doing something often.
Give an Instance: I fell into the habit of reading before bed. / He fell into the habit of waking up early.
Substitute Meaning: Start doing often / Get used to
45. Fall behind schedule
Meaning: Not be on time.
Give an Instance: The project fell behind schedule due to the holiday. / We fell behind schedule with our reading.
Substitute Meaning: Be late / Not on time
Find the “Idioms for Autumn”
Reading Passage
Last Friday, Maple Grove Elementary held its annual Fall Festival. The air was crisp, and leaves crunched under everyone’s feet. Emma was excited but a little nervous about helping at the cider booth. She decided it was time to turn over a new leaf and be more outgoing.
While setting up, she overheard that someone had fallen behind schedule with the pumpkin patch. Mr. Hill said not to worry, everything would fall into place. Emma smiled and kept working. She noticed her classmate Jake fall into rhythm while handing out donuts. It was his first time volunteering too.
Later, their teacher got wind of a prank planned by some older students. Emma hoped it wouldn’t fall into the wrong hands. Thankfully, the prank fell flat, and the event went on without a problem.
When the hayride started, Emma sat beside her friend Mia, who said, “I’m glad you came today. I was going to skip, but I didn’t want to fall out with you.” Emma nodded. “Yeah, and I didn’t want our friendship to fall through the cracks.”
That evening, as the festival ended, Emma felt proud. She didn’t expect it, but the day had fallen into her lap like a gift. She had stepped up, had fun, and didn’t fall on her face after all.
Instructions for Students:
Underline or list all the idioms you found in the story.
Answer Key
- Turn over a new leaf
- Fallen behind schedule
- Fall into place
- Fall into rhythm
- Get wind of
- Fall into the wrong hands
- Fall flat
- Fall out
- Fall through the cracks
- Fall into her lap
- Fall on her face
Conclusion
Autumn is a season full of change and color, and so are the idioms we use to talk about it. These phrases can help describe feelings, moments, and situations in a fun and smart way. Even if the words don’t mean what they sound like, once you learn them, they become easy to understand.
Using idioms like “turn over a new leaf” or “fall into place” can make your stories and speech more interesting. As you read and talk this fall, try to listen for these sayings and maybe use some yourself. They are just like autumn bright, fun, and full of meaning.
