be fall

verb (used without object)

to happen or occur.

Archaic. to come, as by right.

verb (used with object)

to happen to, especially by chance or fate.

Origin:
before 900; Middle English befallen, Old English befeallan. See be-, fall (v.)

Synonyms
1. bechance, ensue, betide, materialize, chance.

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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World English Dictionary

befall (bɪˈfɔːl)

—vb (usually foll by to) , -falls, -falling, -fell, -fallen
1.	(intr) to take place; come to pass
2.	(tr) to happen to
3.	to be due, as by right

[Old English befeallan; related to Old High German bifallan, Dutch bevallen; see be-, fall]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Be fall is always a great word to know.

So is slumgullion. Does it mean:

a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.

a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.

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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

befall

O.E. befeallan "to deprive of; fall to, be assigned to; befall," from be- "by, about" + feallan (see fall).

Matching Quote

"There are thousands who are in opinion opposed to slavery and to the war, who yet in effect do nothing to put an end to them; who, esteeming themselves children of Washington and Franklin, sit down with their hands in their pockets, and say that they know not what to do, and do nothing; who even postpone the question of freedom to the question of free trade, and quietly read the prices-current along with the latest advices from Mexico, after dinner, and it may be, fall asleep over them both. What is the price-current of an honest man and patriot to-day? They hesitate, and they regret, and sometimes they petition; but they do nothing in earnest and with effect. They will wait, well disposed, for others to remedy the evil, that they may no longer have to regret. At most, they give only a cheap vote, and a feeble countenance and God-speed, to the right, as it goes by them. There are nine hundred and ninety-nine patrons of virtue to one virtuous man. But it is easier to deal with the real possessor of a thing than with the temporary guardian of it."

-Henry David Thoreau

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be fall

be·fall