Meaning of 'fall through cracks'

[Haihao]

English Language Tests, Intermediate level

ESL/EFL Test #176 "Idioms with the prasal verb fall", question 4

Student mentors catch children before they ......... cracks.

(a) fall through
(b) fall behind
(c) fall back on
(d) fall out with

English Language Tests, Intermediate level

ESL/EFL Test #176 "Idioms with the prasal verb fall", answer 4

Student mentors catch children before they fall through cracks.

Correct answer: (a) fall through

Your answer was: correct
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Is 'fall through cracks' an idiom? I really don't know its meaning but just figured it out from 'fall through' (failer).

haihao

[Alan]

Hi Haihao,

I am not familiar with the expression 'fall through the cracks' but surmise as you have done that it suggests some kind of failure. There are other other expressions that I do know that convey a similar idea and they are:

fall by the wayside
slip through the net

They both suggest that people (children in the case of the test) do not complete the usual process or that they fail on the way.

A
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