fall off the perch
drop off the perch

During the challenge, Matthew was the first to fall off the perch.

When it fell off the perch, they knew it was time to leave.

It did not, however, fall off the perch; it just skittered to the edge.

Ajax almost fell off the perch with shock when Here screamed, but caught himself and recovered his balance.

Then for six months more I couldn't paint anything except her face when the slug hit her thigh and she fell off the perch."

Lo these many yeeres agone, a certain Jim Reeves fell off the perch.

The railing was dotted with pop quizzes on birds, with questions like, "Why doesn't a sleeping bird fall off the perch?"

"Maybe he fell off the perch--" Durand tried to suggest inanely, for lack of any other explanation that came to mind.

The other thing we noted about the fire chief's report is that the brigade is to be re-named the Durham County Fire and Rescue Service, thereby emphasising its commitment to cats up trees, cows in clarts and budgerigars that have fallen off the perch.

It's alarmingly like North Korea - the old dictator falls off the perch, but before he goes, he clears the way for his son, the new dictator, with a very similar name (a bit like North Korea) seamlessly to take over the control of thought ,word and deed.

But at least I was polite to Rupert while I waited for him to drop off the perch.'

You . . . drop off the perch here, it's for . . . for real."