to land on one's tush
- phrasal verb
- /lænd ɑn wʌnz tʊʃ/
- Baby Talk
- She tripped over the curb and landed on her tush in front of everyone.
Examples
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He lost his balance trying to skateboard and landed on his tush.
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She landed on her tush after slipping on the ice.
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Be careful around the ice, or you might land on your tush.
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Watch out, you might land on your tush!
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She tripped on the sidewalk and landed on her tush with a loud thud.
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If you're not careful, you'll land on your tush when you jump off that ledge.
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He was playing around and accidentally landed on his tush while trying to do a flip.
Synonyms
Move or drop down from a higher to a lower place
Suddenly move from a standing position to the ground or a lower level
To fall forward or tip onto the ground
To fall over or make something fall over, often suddenly when it loses balance
Lose your balance and drop down from something like a ladder
To lose your balance or stop being steady and end up on the ground
Touch the ground after falling or being dropped
To sit down or fall forward suddenly and heavily
To fall or sit down heavily and suddenly because you are tired
Fall down suddenly because you faint or feel very weak
A sudden fall when someone loses balance while moving
To put down something or sit down heavily so it makes a loud sound
To drop to the ground quickly to avoid danger
To fall suddenly, for example by tripping or by losing value
To put something down so it makes a noise or to pay money quickly
To fall onto the ground with great force and possibly get hurt
To sit or drop down heavily and suddenly
To lose your balance and land on your backside in an awkward or embarrassing way
Sit or put something down heavily and carelessly
To fall with a sudden heavy splash or thud
To fall in a clumsy way and land head over heels
To fall and turn over in a sudden, clumsy way
To sit or fall down suddenly and heavily, often because you are tired
To sit down suddenly in a heavy, relaxed way
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from the constituents: 'land' (move down and rest), 'on' (location), 'one's' (possessive) and 'tush' (buttocks), so a learner who knows those words can infer landing on the buttocks. The expression is colloquial but not idiomatic or metaphorical beyond the literal components, so it is immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner who knows the parts.
Etymology
Land on one's tush comes from a simple picture: you land on your tush, your 'bottom', after slipping or falling. That's why it now means 'to fall or sit down suddenly', often in an embarrassing or slightly funny way.