fall through/between the cracks

idiom

variants or less commonly slip through/between the cracks

: to fail to be noticed, assisted, or included with others

Parents are concerned that children who have trouble in school will fall through the cracks in the school system.

The program is meant to help workers who may have slipped through the cracks because of their age.

Examples of fall through/between the cracks in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The mandate of this new regime should be to identify the commodities and technologies that currently fall through the cracks as well as the institutions and individuals in whose hands these tools could pose a threat to national security, economic security, and human rights. —Emily S. Weinstein, Foreign Affairs, 15 July 2022

So far, there has been little public accountability for the program’s failures, while the data shows that hundreds of migrants who reach out for help fall through the cracks and are never seen again. —Seyward Darby, Longreads, 24 Sep. 2024

Switzerland has a far better safety net than in the U.S. and yet am sure there are people like Jule, who fall through the cracks despite the country’s support system. —Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 10 Sep. 2024

Even when states can regulate what health plans cover, people still fall through the cracks. —Kff Health News, The Mercury News, 17 July 2024