If a person or an organization is heading for a fall or is riding for a fall, they are doing things that make them likely to have problems or to fail soon. The Tory Party is heading for a great fall. Here was a company that seemed to be riding for a fall. Now, it has become the sixth-biggest firm in the market. Note: You can also say that a person or organization is headed for a fall. There were some who wondered whether Black's vanity indicated that he was headed for a fall. Note: This expression was probably first used in fox-hunting to refer to someone who was riding dangerously.