fall between two stools

English

Etymology

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").

Pronunciation

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Verb

fall between two stools (third-person singular simple present falls between two stools, present participle falling between two stools, simple past fell between two stools, past participle fallen between two stools)

1. (idiomatic, of tasks, issues, problems, items) To fit into neither of two categories and, hence, be neglected or fail.
   • 1996, Mike Lawrence, A to Z of Sports Cars, 1945-1990:

     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.

   • 2006, Richard Rex, Henry VIII and the English Reformation:

     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.

   • 2014, Robert Watt, Shakespeare's History Plays, page 184:

     Patterson's therory has profound implications for any critical interpretation of the play: if, as she argues, we should recognise two distinct versions of the play with very different political effects, an interpretation which ignores the differences is likely to fall between two stools.

2. (idiomatic) To attempt two roles and fail at both, when either could have been accomplished singly.
   • 1857, Anthony Trollope, “Barchester Towers”, in The Century Co., published 1902, page 252:

     “ […] 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. […] ”

   • 1910, Sydney Humphries, Oriental Carpets, Runners and Rugs and Some Jacquard Reproductions, READ BOOKS, published 2010, →ISBN, page 22:

     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.

   • 1929, Charles Howard Ellis, The Origin, Structure & Working of the League of Nations, The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd., published 2004, →ISBN, page 153:

     The Council, by trying to combine its functions as the responsible executive of the League with some of the representative attributes of the Assembly, has to some extent fallen between two stools, and gives the impression of not being certain of its rôle.

   • 2003, Chris Jones, The Guerilla^[sic] Film Makers Movie Blueprint, Continuum International Publishing Group, →ISBN, page 21:

     As your chances of mega-success increase so do your chances of falling between two stools, and if you get it wrong, you could end up with a dog’s dinner that satisfies no one.

Synonyms

• fall in a grey area

Translations

to attempt two tasks and fail at both

• Hebrew: נָפַל בֵּין הַכִּסְאוֹת (he) (nafál bēn hakis'ót)
• Hungarian: két szék között a pad alá esik
• Icelandic: setjast milli tveggja stóla, gjalda óákveðni sinnar
• Japanese: 二兎を追う者は一兎をも得ず (ja) (にとをおうものはいっとをもえず, nito o ou mono wa itto o mo ezu)
• Latin: duabus sellis sedeo

See also

• out of the frying pan, into the fire