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# fell off a truck

phrase (verb phrase: fall off a truck, falls, fell, has fallen off a truck; also «fell off the back of a truck»; US)

«fell off a truck» in the English dictionary: in the primary school — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## In the primary school

Source: Mova's pupils' dictionary. Licence: [Elamur Cosmic License](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/LICENSE/). Reviewed: the dictionary the pupils of Mova's primary school read; its examples quote the lessons and public-domain tales. Ships with Mova.

### Meaning

1. (euphemism, US, humorous) was stolen, or was bought cheaply from someone who stole it.
2. (literal) dropped from a moving truck.

### In the lessons

A jokey way to hint that goods are stolen without saying so, used in American gangster films, gossip and jokes; everyday slang, mainly US. The UK version is «fell off the back of a lorry».

### Examples

- "Where'd you get this TV so cheap?" "Let's just say it fell off a truck."
- My uncle's new watch fell off a truck, if you know what I mean.
- The guy at the market was selling phones that fell off a truck.
- Don't buy anything that fell off a truck; it could be stolen.
- In the film, the gangster winks and says the furs fell off a truck.
- A box of apples really did fall off a truck on the highway.
- Police warned shoppers about goods that "fell off a truck".
- Buying stolen goods is a crime, even if they "fell off a truck".

### Note

Trap: usually not literal; the wink means stolen. Buying stolen goods is illegal and unsafe; spot it, never join in. Plain word: stolen. Literal use is possible in news about road accidents.