{"id":4655,"date":"2022-06-27T17:48:17","date_gmt":"2022-06-27T17:48:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=4655"},"modified":"2022-06-27T17:48:17","modified_gmt":"2022-06-27T17:48:17","slug":"fall-through-the-cracks-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/fall-through-the-cracks-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Fall Through the Cracks \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you looking for a way to say something that escaped your attention and memory? You could say you let it \u201cfall through the cracks<\/em>\u201d of your mind. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

The expression \u201cfall through the cracks<\/em>\u201d means something or someone to go unnoticed, unobserved, or ignored. It means that you weren\u2019t paying attention to something or someone, and you didn\u2019t retain any memory to return to it or them at a later date.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It also means that a person or object is neglected, overlooked, or forgotten. You can use \u201cfall through the cracks<\/em>\u201d to describe situations where things slip by quality control or inspection. The phrase can also refer to you forgetting about something while prioritizing other work or tasks.<\/p>\n

The expression can mean that a small task or an unimportant request goes ignored or unnoticed because you have more pressing matters at hand. Someone will eventually remind you if something falls through the cracks. When you realize your mistake, it will cause you frustration or regret ignoring or forgetting about it.<\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

\u201cThomas grew up in the nursing home, and he went ignored and unobserved for his childhood. With no one paying any attention to him, it\u2019s not surprising he went on to fall through the cracks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI let that project fall the rough the cracks when I should have delegated it to someone. Now the boss is on my back for results, and we haven\u2019t started anything yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf life lets you fall through the cracks, your only choice is to climb back out and make something of yourself. No one is going to do it for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow did she fall through the cracks? We\u2019ve been checking everyone\u2019s passport, but she manages to make it through unscathed? I need to speak to your superior right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you let this fall through the cracks, it\u2019s on you. I\u2019m not going to be responsible when they ask you where the results are, and you can\u2019t deliver.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess we left it to fall through the cracks. Twenty years later, we come back to the house to find it undisturbed, sitting right there like the day we left it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Origin<\/h2>\n

The expression \"fall through the cracks\" originates from the saying \"fall between the floorboards.\" This saying comes from times when building practices were not as refined as today. As a result, builders and construction companies would construct walkways using boards, leaving small cracks between the wooden slats.<\/p>\n

Small items like coins or pieces of paper would fall from people's pockets onto the floorboards and disappear through the cracks. Language experts are unsure when \"fall through the cracks\" replaced fall through the floorboards. However, some believe the change happened in the mid-1900s.<\/p>\n