fall off the back of a lorry

verb

Of an item of merchandise, to come into a person's possession without having been paid for; to have been acquired illegally.

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Meanings

verbfall off the back of a lorry (third-person singular simple present falls off the back of a lorry, present participle falling off the back of a lorry, simple past fell off the back of a lorry, past participle fallen off the back of a lorry)

present singular third person falls off the back of a lorry · participle present falling off the back of a lorry · past fell off the back of a lorry · participle past fallen off the back of a lorry · alternative fall off a truck

  1. UKeuphemisticidiomaticOf an item of merchandise, to come into a person's possession without having been paid for; to have been acquired illegally.
Cite this entry
APA

fall off the back of a lorry. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fall%20off%20the%20back%20of%20a%20lorry

MLA

“fall off the back of a lorry.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fall%20off%20the%20back%20of%20a%20lorry. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fall off the back of a lorry,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fall%20off%20the%20back%20of%20a%20lorry.

Source: fall off the back of a lorry on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.