Falling over or Having a fall ?

In my mind they are two different things, but this is probably only me. If someone falls over, they have tripped over an obstacle, and that can happen to anyone. If someone has 'had a fall' then they have fallen for no real valid reason, are usually elderly, and need referral to a Falls Clinic if it happens more than once.

Given that we talk of having old animals 'put down' when their life has become too painful, I wouldn't personally use that for a baby, they would be put in their cot or pram!

I remember a friend of mine (who I thought was old before her time) telling me she "Had a fall" when she was in her late 40s.
It does sound aging, in my opinion.

I would say, I had tripped/slipped and fell over.
I would automatically think of an older person having a fall, which would probably mean they had fell without any reason.

Trouble is that many of us now are the age the ‘elderly’ were! I am not old.....just mature (ish).

A person had a fall. A thing fell over. IMO.

It depends upon what you yourself perceives.

Interesting, I had not thought about it before but just recently I said to my DD "your gran has had another fall".
This is how it said to me om the phone by her care home.

But in the past I have said to my daughter that xxxx (her son) has fallen over again.

A very fit healthy 80 year old friend has been really cross recently because, he fell over and broke an ankle, when he stepped back politely on a pavement to let someone past and failed to realise that the pavment behind him had quite a high drop to the road. He went over backwards and broke his ankle.

When he got to hospital they kept referring to him 'having a fall' and gave him lots of helpful hints about not wearing worn out slippers etc. He kept saying 'I did not have a fall, I fell over and I do not wear slippers when shopping.

I would be very annoyed too M0nica if I were this friend.
But when my 90yr old DM tripped on her new carpet she was shuffling about in her old slippers. She fell and broke her hip.
So she fell and she had a fall. Take your pick. I blame the new carpet because she wasn't used to such a deep pile.

To me, fell over means it's a one off.
Had a fall means it's a regular thing. Like me .
And I do get annoyed with myself about it.

Fennel, you have defined the difference exactly.

one off v regular.