Fall off the back of a lorry

Origin

In the bustling post-war era of 20th-century Britain, with goods often scarce and regulations tight, the illicit market thrived. Amidst this climate, the phrase "fall off the back of a lorry" emerged as a humorous, knowing euphemism. It vividly conjures the image of items tumbling from a moving delivery truck, ostensibly to be "found" by a lucky passer-by. This literal, accidental imagery provided a convenient, lighthearted way to refer to stolen goods without directly admitting to theft, offering a veil of plausible deniability for both seller and buyer in a society where a little bit of opportunistic acquisition was often met with a wink rather than a stern rebuke.