fall between the cracks
To be overlooked, neglected, or ignored, especially due to mismanagement or disarray in the midst of a large or complex situation. In these overcrowded and underfunded public schools, many students end up falling between the cracks. The details of the enforcement of the law seem to have fallen between the cracks during its creation. We were all so busy drawing up the contracts for this new deal that the appreciation dinner we'd promised to our interns simply fell between the cracks.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
fall between the cracks
Also, fall through the cracks or between two stools . Be neglected or overlooked; also, not fit either of two alternatives. For example, Please make sure that either our department or yours deals with this account, lest it fall between the cracks , or Trying to be both teacher and parent, she fell between two stools. The variant using stools, with its image of a person falling to the ground between two chairs instead of sitting down on one or the other, was already a proverb in ancient times; in English it was first recorded about 1390.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.