falla mellan två stolar

Swedish

Alternative forms

• falla mellan stolarna (much more common)
• hamna mellan stolarna

Etymology

Literally, "to fall between two chairs" or "to fall between the chairs".

Verb

falla mellan två stolar (present faller mellan två stolar, preterite föll mellan två stolar, supine fallit mellan två stolar, imperative fall mellan två stolar)

1. to be outside of everyone's responsibility, slip through the cracks

   När två myndigheter inte kan samarbeta, kommer någon att falla mellan stolarna.

   When two authorities cannot cooperate, someone will be forgotten by both of them.

Usage notes

• Though it literally translates to "fall between two stools" in English, the Swedish idiom is not equivalent to the English one.