fall between two stools

动词 v.
中文释义

英文释义

动词 v.
  1. To fit into neither of two categories and, hence, be neglected or fail. idiomatic
    — 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.
  2. To attempt two roles and fail at both, when either could have been accomplished singly. idiomatic
    — “[…] 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. […]”

词形变化

falls between two stools present,singular,third-person falling between two stools participle,present fell between two stools past fallen between two stools participle,past

词汇关系

近义词
fall in a grey area
相关词
out of the frying pan, into the fire

词源

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").
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