帯おびに短みじかし襷たすきに長ながし

Meanings

neither one thing nor the other; too short for a belt, too long for a sleeve tie

Idiomatic expression describing something that is awkwardly in-between and not quite suitable for any purpose. The literal image is of a cloth that is too short to be used as an obi sash but too long to be used as a tasuki cord.

この企き画かくは帯おびに短みじかし襷たすきに長ながしで、採さい用ようするかどうか迷まよっている。
This proposal is neither one thing nor the other, so we're unsure whether to adopt it.
彼かれの経けい歴れきは帯おびに短みじかし襷たすきに長ながしで、どの部ぶ署しょにもぴったり合あわない。
His background is too short for a belt and too long for a sleeve tie—it doesn't quite fit any department.

Kanji

帯sash, belt, obi
短short, brevity, fault
襷cord to hold up sleeves, (kokuji)
長long, leader, superior

Related words

中ちゅう途と半はん端ぱ
中途半端 is a more common and direct way to say 'half-baked' or 'incomplete', while 帯に短し襷に長し is a proverbial expression emphasizing the awkward in-betweenness.

Built from

帯おび+短みじか+たすき+長なが

Written forms

帯おびに短みじかし襷たすきに長ながし
Standard kanji spelling for this idiomatic expression.
帯おびに短みじかしたすきに長ながし
Variant spelling using kana for 襷; less common but still encountered.

Etymology

A traditional Japanese proverb. The literal meaning is 'too short for an obi, too long for a tasuki', referring to a piece of cloth that cannot serve either function well. The exact origin is uncertain, but it has been used for centuries to describe things that fall awkwardly between two useful states.