purler

come a purler

To fall in an especially clumsy or violent manner, often headfirst. (A "purler" is such a fall.) If you're not careful walking on that ice, you'll come a purler!
See also: come, purler

go a purler

To fall in an especially clumsy or violent manner, often headfirst. (A "purler" is such a fall.) If you're not careful walking on that ice, you'll go a purler!
See also: go, purler
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

come (or go) a purler

fall heavily, especially head first.
The verb purl was in dialect or colloquial use in the mid 19th century in the senses ‘turn upside down’, ‘capsize’, or ‘go head over heels’.
See also: come, purler
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • go a purler
  • come a purler
  • fall head over heels
  • snot (oneself)
  • foozle
  • hack (something) to bits
  • hack (something) to pieces
  • hack (something) to smithereens
  • hack to
  • muscleheaded
References in periodicals archive
Deportivo La Coruna striker Tristan's tackle on Beckham, shown in all its horrible grandeur on Uefa Champions League Highlights (ITV1), was, as such things go, a purler. Why, folk wondered, perpetrate such with only seconds left and the game lost?
Favourite-backers new their fate at an early stage when Cuthill Hope (11-10) took a purler at the second fence.
gravity interceptor along Dardenne Creek; and $,1,124,000 to Purler, Cannon & Schulte for 18- to 30-in.
It was a real purler and told me the time's right to step him up now.
With sayings and words bouncing hither and thither, our mom would tell us to have "no cotter" with someone who was upsetting us and to tek no notice if we were teased by a cousin; she'd let us know how someone had come a right purler and scraged their legs; and she'd admonish us not to let anyone see us blartin if we'd had a bit of dust up over the rec.
Ruby Walsh's mount looked held by Exotic Dancer when he took a purler two out on his reappearance in the Lexus here but he'll be all the fitter for the outing and may prove too good for The Listener despite the testing conditions.
Smith has dried up since those two double-hundreds and Bicknell produced a purler to expose weakness against the one swinging into the left-hander.
It always looked that something special was going to separate the two sides and it was City's midfield player Sinkins who rifled home a left-foot purler from just outside the box to give City the advantage in the fifth minute of extra time.
I went a real purler, with my face bleeding profusely.
Mister RM was running a blinder in the Supreme Novices Hurdle at Cheltenham when coming a purler at the second last.
As he went up the rickety and creaky stairs he minded out for the gaps which could lead you to trip and come a purler.
Trainer Darren Whitton said yesterday: "He took a right purler, and is pretty lame in the hock area.
L'Honore doubled the advantage after 40 minutes with an exquisite 25-yard purler that gave Belford no chance.
One particularly memorable purler at Taunton left him lying in the weighing room with his arm broken, pulled out of its socket and twisted into his ribs.
Former Crewe playmaker Johnson strolled up and curled a purler of a left footer past keeper Phil Whitehead who was rooted to his spot.