fall between the cracks

1. Also,. 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.

Example Sentences

"Oncology, gynaecology, and primary care may not always coordinate well, so patients can fall between the cracks," she added.

Read more on BBC

Though retailers are expected to abide by Federal Trade Commission laws against deceptive pricing, nuances in state-level policies and enforcement can allow dubious sales activity to fall between the cracks.

Read more on Slate

"I understand that there are pressures on government at the moment but we cannot let a group of our citizens here in Northern Ireland go without support, to fall between the cracks, because they and their children are suffering when such a fund could make a huge difference," she said.

Read more on BBC

“If you don’t have the data, you can’t locate who you’re failing to serve. They’re going to fall between the cracks,” she said.

Read more on Seattle Times

On the negative side, many people with unrecognized disabilities fall between the cracks of targeted cash transfer systems.

Read more on Scientific American