arse over tit
1
9.9
- idiom
- /ɑːs ˈəʊvə tɪt/
- Offensive
:
darse un tortazo
- The child laughed as he went arse over tit while trying to ride his bike.
Examples
-
During the show, the clown fell arse over tit, causing the audience to burst into laughter.
-
...but merely the ability to fall arse over tit in the mud.
-
He tripped on the uneven pavement and fell arse over tit in front of everyone.
Synonyms
108
3.5
To fall forward or tip onto the ground
93
4.1
To fall over or make something fall over, often suddenly when it loses balance
67
1.0
To lose your balance or stop being steady and end up on the ground
28
3.5
A sudden heavy fall onto something that makes a soft sound
27
3.0
Make something fall from a standing position
1
6.8
To stumble or fall because you are clumsy
1
9.9
To fall and turn over in a sudden, clumsy way
1
9.1
To lose your balance and land on your backside in an awkward or embarrassing way
To fall or sit down suddenly and hit your bottom
To make something that stands fall over
To make something fall over by accident
Antonyms
How Awkward
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal parts ('arse' = buttocks, 'over' = across, 'tit' = breast) produce a vivid image of someone flipping so that their backside goes over their chest, which makes the general sense of tumbling somewhat recoverable. However, the expression is colloquial, vulgar and dialect-specific, and the exact nuance (awkward/comical fall vs. any fall) and fixed idiomatic phrasing are not fully predictable from the parts, so it is only partially transparent to learners.
Etymology
The idiom arse over tit comes from a strong picture of someone slipping so hard that their arse flips over their tit and they tumble head over heels. So the phrase means 'to fall in an awkward or comical way'.