take the fall receive blame or punishment, typically in the place of another person. North American informal

☞ In late 19th-century criminals' slang fall could mean an 'an arrest', and this was later extended to mean 'a term of imprisonment'. From this the US term fall guy meaning 'a scapegoat' developed in the early 20th century.

☞ For other idioms containing fall, see the entry for the main word in the idiom (for example, fall foul of at foul).