fall between two stools
English · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
fall between two stools
Where it comes from
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").
verb falls between two stools · falling between two stools · fell between two stools · fallen between two stools
- 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.
- 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. […]”
Similar: fall in a grey area
Thesaurus
verb
Similar: fall in a grey area
Translations
Every language
verb to attempt two tasks and fail at both
| 日本語 | 二兎を追う者は一兎をも得ず nito o ou mono wa itto o mo ezu |
|---|---|
| עברית | נָפַל בֵּין הַכִּסְאוֹת nafál bēn hakis'ót |
Talk about this word "fall between two stools." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/fall%20between%20two%20stools. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026. fall between two stools. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/fall%20between%20two%20stools "fall between two stools." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/fall%20between%20two%20stools.Cite this
@misc{fall_between_two_stools_2026,
title = {fall between two stools},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/fall%20between%20two%20stools},
urldate = {2026-11-07}
}
