Word.ws English Dictionary

between two stools

between two stools phrase: not fitting neatly into either of two categories or positions.

Phrase

between two stools

  1. Not fitting neatly into either of two categories or positions.
    • Accusing the opposition of attempting to "sit between two stools," he further explained: We will unite with no party, as a party -- and with individuals of all parties, if we believe them to be sincerely the friends of the people.1967, Walter Hugins, Jacksonian Democracy and the Working Class
    • There are many obstacles to the attainment of position, these being largely caused by clergymen or lawyers; moreover, the native is sometimes apt to come to grief “between two stools,” or from want of decision in professional or business matters, while secret enemies injure the position, though the...1996, Alan Leo, Astrology for All, page 168
  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see between, two, stool.

Origin of between two stools

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").

Words formed from between two stools

Questions about between two stools

What does between two stools mean?
Between two stools means not fitting neatly into either of two categories or positions.
What part of speech is between two stools?
Between two stools is a phrase.

Words near between two stools in the dictionary

  1. between the pipes
  2. between the sheets
  3. between the sticks
  4. between time
  5. between times
  6. between two stools
  7. between wind and water
  8. between you and I
  9. between you and me
  10. between you and me and the bedpost
  11. between you and me and these four walls

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: between two stools (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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