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Glite Dictionary
to fall into someone's lap

to fall into someone's lap

1 6.5
To get something good without effort or planning
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : caer en el regazo de alguien
  • Sometimes, a great opportunity will fall into your lap when you least expect it.

Examples

  • When the inheritance fell into her lap, she was completely unprepared for the responsibility.

  • The perfect apartment just fell into his lap after months of searching unsuccessfully.

  • Wow! Maria was thrilled when the scholarship fell into her lap!

  • Did John really get that job offer just falling into his lap?

  • After months of job searching, a great opportunity finally fell into her lap when a friend recommended her for a position.

  • He was not expecting a promotion, but it fell into his lap after his boss left the company.

  • Winning the scholarship fell into my lap when I least expected it, making my dreams of studying abroad possible.

Synonyms

to land in someone's lap
vsto fall into someone's lap
  • Informal
6.6

To get something valuable by surprise without any effort

emphasizes lucky good fortune rather than neutral responsibility

Antonyms

to struggle
851 2.8

To try very hard to do or deal with something difficult

to miss out
176 3.6

Lose the chance to enjoy something good

How Effortless

to fall into someone's lap
  • Informal
1 6.5
to receive
∞ 1.0
to earn
947 1.0

Surface Forms

fall into someone's lap infinitive
falling into someone's lap present participle
falls into someone's lap third person singular
fell into someone's lap past
fallen into someone's lap past participle

Morphology

fall + into + someone's + lap

The expression evokes a clear physical image — something literally falling into a person's lap — so a learner who knows 'fall', 'into', 'someone's', and 'lap' can infer that something arrives unexpectedly. However, the conventionalized extension to mean 'received without effort' or 'a stroke of luck' is a metaphorical mapping that is not fully predictable for all B1 learners without exposure, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

The idiom fall into someone's lap comes from the picture of something falling into a person's lap while they sit. Because it lands easily and by surprise, it now means 'to get something without effort'.