slip through the cracks
Escape proper attention
To slip through the cracks is to go unnoticed or unaddressed, usually because of gaps in a system meant to catch or help: Some students slip through the cracks and graduate without basic skills.
The image is of something small enough to fall through spaces between floorboards or paving stones—escaping detection not by design but by oversight.
- escapeFlight from captivity
- evadeEscape by cunning
- overlookedNot noticed or considered
- ignoredPurposely not noticed
- eludeSkillfully avoid capture
missed · lost in the shuffle · omitted · neglected · left behind · loophole · red tape · bypassed · invisibility · oversight · forgotten · fall by the wayside · omission · under the radar · unattended · marginalization · gap · unnoticed
slips, slipped, slipping, slippage, slipper, slippery, through, thorough, thoroughly