- fall between two stools
- phrasal to fail because of inability to choose between or reconcile two alternative or conflicting courses of action
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
fall between two stools
Look at other dictionaries:
fall between two stools — ► fall between two stools Brit. fail to be or take either of two satisfactory alternatives. Main Entry: ↑stool … English terms dictionary
fall between two stools — phrasal : to fail or come to naught because of inability to choose between or reconcile two alternative or conflicting courses of action a story of falling between two stools the stool of election promises to balance the budget and reduce taxes,… … Useful english dictionary
fall between two stools — mainly British, mainly British if something falls between two stools, it fails because it is neither one type of thing nor another and if someone falls between two stools, they fail because they try to combine two different types of thing that… … New idioms dictionary
fall between two stools — verb a) To fit into neither of two categories and, hence, be neglected or fail. “ She [<nowiki/>] 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. ” … Wiktionary
fall between two stools — not clearly one type or the other, neither fish nor fowl This vehicle is part bike and part car. It falls between two stools … English idioms
fall between two stools — fail because one hesitated between two opportunities, attempt two things at once and fail at both … English contemporary dictionary
fall between two stools — Brit. fail to be or take either of two satisfactory alternatives. → stool … English new terms dictionary
between two stools one falls to the ground — Inability to choose between, or accommodate oneself to, alternative viewpoints or courses of action is likely to end in disaster. Now more common in the metaphorical phrase to fall between two stools. Cf. medieval L. labitur enitens sellis herere … Proverbs new dictionary
fall between two stools — to fail because of not definitely being either one thing or another … English dictionary
between two stools — Meaning Uncertainty and hesitation. Origin From the proverbial between two stools you fall to the ground … Meaning and origin of phrases
