Fall between two stools

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Meaning

To miss both options, stuck in limbo.

Origin

From 14th-century England, tied to proverbs; 'between two stools' for miss, by 1390s in a Chaucer tale for flop. A 1530s text uses it for a split.

Variants

  • Two stools

Usage Examples

  • He fell between two stools; picked neither.
  • Fall between two stools; jobless now.
  • Between two stools; she lost both.

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