What it means
Means you’ve taken a proper, often very public fall where you flip right over and land in a heap. It’s more dramatic than a little trip. Proper pub-chat stuff for when someone goes flying, usually with a thud, a swear, and everyone nearby trying not to laugh.
Usage examples
"Saw Gaz leaving the pub, swaggering like he owned the pavement, then he went arse over tit on the kerb and sent his chips into orbit. Whole street was howling."
"He went arse over tit on the icy steps outside the pub, pint somehow still full in his hand."
"Mind that loose rug, last week I went arse over tit carrying the Christmas tree through the door."
"Tom thought he could vault the garden wall in his work shoes and went arse over tit straight into the bins."
"She hit that wet patch by the chippy and went arse over tit in front of a bus queue. Brutal scenes."
Where it comes from
It’s an old British and Irish phrase for taking a proper tumble, built out of blunt body-part imagery that paints you flipping over in a very undignified heap. It’s been around since at least the 19th century in print, and it’s stuck because the picture lands instantly and nobody needs it explained twice.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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