to fall upon one's feet
Preserved but no longer current.
To find oneself unexpectedly lucky; to find oneself in a situa- tion where everything seems to go right. Evidently from the old theory that a cat always falls on its feet and is able to get away unhurt.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to fall upon one's feet” mean?
To find oneself unexpectedly lucky; to find oneself in a situa- tion where everything seems to go right. Evidently from the old theory that a cat always falls on its feet and is able to get away unhurt.
Is “to fall upon one's feet” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.