fall between two stools
verbEtymology
From an old proverb, "Between two stools, one falls to the ground", which dates from 1390. This, in turn, is most likely a translation of the medieval Latin proverb labitur enitens sellis herere duabus ("he falls trying to sit on two seats").
Definitions
To fit into neither of two categories and, hence, be neglected or fail.
- Unfortunately, it fell between two stools: it was not good enough to be a competition car and those who wanted a roadburner preferred the Iso Grifo, which was better equipped.
- Even Henry's will embodies that suspension between two poles, or falling between two stools, which characterises so much of his church's history from the point.
To attempt two roles and fail at both, when either could have been accomplished singly.
- “[…] She Dido] could not bear to lose the land she had got by a swindle; and then she could not bear the loss of her lover. So she fell between two stools. […]”
- Failing to get rid of the old love Medea] before taking on the new—in other words, wasting his strength over a new and untried method before having fully established the old—he Jason] fell between two stools.
The neighborhood
- synonymfall in a grey area
- neighborout of the frying pan, into the fire
Vish — recursive loop
No curated loop yet for fall between two stools. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.
sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA