Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

fall on someone's neck

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.10 in modern English

Syllables: fal-l on -some-one's -neck
IPA

29

Scrabble Score

18

Letters

5

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To embrace someone affectionately or thankfully.

Dated

Example Sentences

"[W]hen Theseus saw him, his heart leapt into his mouth, and he longed to fall on his neck and welcome him."
"If he expected either of them to fall on his neck and weep tears of gratitude at his pompous announcement, the colonel was disappointed."
"I ought to fall on your neck with joy. . . . You are my father's friend, my mother's, mine."
""[T]he moment your delinquent showed the slightest sign of decency . . . you fell on his neck as if he had rescued you from drowning.""
"[A]fter falling on my neck and hugging me and calling me “cousin” like a character from a Jane Austen novel, . . . she sat me down."

Usage

Dated

Inflected Forms

falls on someone's neck (present, singular) falling on someone's neck (participle, present) fell on someone's neck (past) fallen on someone's neck (participle, past)

Questions

What does fall on someone's neck mean?: To embrace someone affectionately or thankfully.

How to pronounce fall on someone's neck

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