Would you like to tell someone that their idea or their prospects could stand to be doomed, and that they are better off without the risk? The phrase 'fall on your sword' can be used to say this, and it's one of the most common figurative expressions to tell a person that something could be a bad idea. This post unpacks its meaning, use and origin.
Meaning
The saying 'fall on your sword' is a common figure of speech that is most often used in the English language, although it also appears as a direct translation in a select few others.
The phrase 'fall on your sword' is used to denote that someone's idea or future has the potential to be doomed.
'[To] fall on your sword' can also be used as a phrase that indicates someone has already been defeated at something (e.g. that they have failed or lost at what they have tried to accomplish).
The phrase can be used in any tense, and someone could have 'fell or fallen on their sword' in the past as well as 'fall on their sword' in the future or past tense.
The phrase can be used in many ways, though most of them are unfavorable or have implications of defeat or doom.
The phrase can be said in the denial form, though rarely is: 'I'm not going to fall on my sword at this meeting, let me tell you.'
Sometimes, the phrase can be used to say that someone should not fall on their sword, or beat themselves up about something as a similar phrase.
Someone can use the phrase in reference to someone as a third-party, or directly to someone in conversation.
Example Usage
“If you give a toddler that much sugar before they go to bed, then you're just going to fall on your sword as a result.”
“Don't go out and party past midnight when you have to work the next day. All you're going to do is fall on your sword, and then everything is fucked.”
“You don't have to fall on your sword just because you don't understand how Microsoft Word works. Take a course and learn something.”
“If you walk to the office tomorrow, either you're going to fall on your sword because you're so tired, or someone else is going to run into you with a shiv. This is a rough neighborhood and you don't want to walk anywhere.”
Origin
According to internet etymology resources, the phrase 'fall on your sword' originated from the ancient battlefield practice when disgraced soldiers would kill themselves by literally falling on their swords.
There are some resources which give the origin as Biblical, and state that it comes from English translations of the King James Version. While the phrase appears in 1 Chronicles 10, the practice was already common and widespread by the point this saying was used – and especially by the time it was translated.
Phrases Similar to Fall On Your Sword
- Cut off your own nose
- Beat yourself up
Phrases Opposite to Fall On Your Sword
- Toot [or blow] your own horn
What is the Correct Saying?
- [to] fall on your own sword
Ways People May Say Fall On Your Sword Incorrectly
There are several ways in which someone can use the phrase '[to] fall on your sword' in the wrong way, or misunderstand the context of the phrase.
The saying is figurative, and does not usually have a literal meaning unless the context is obvious and historical.
Use of the phrase as 'fall on your swords' is atypical, but can be valid use of the phrase when the speaker refers to several people.
Acceptable Ways to Phrase Fall On Your Sword
The correct way to use the phrase 'fall on your sword' is to use it as a saying that means someone has been defeated (or that something is doomed).