limbo
noun
[ ˈlɪmbəʊ ]
• (in some Christian beliefs) the supposed abode of the souls of unbaptized infants, and of the just who died before Christ's coming.
• an uncertain period of awaiting a decision or resolution; an intermediate state or condition.
• "the legal battle could leave the club in limbo until next year"
Similar:
in abeyance,
unattended to,
unfinished,
incomplete,
suspended,
deferred,
postponed,
put off,
pending,
in a state of suspension,
awaiting action,
on ice,
in cold storage,
unresolved,
undetermined,
in a state of uncertainty,
up in the air,
in no man's land,
betwixt and between,
ongoing,
outstanding,
hanging fire,
abandoned,
forgotten,
left out,
neglected,
on the back burner,
on hold,
Origin:
late Middle English: from the medieval Latin phrase in limbo, from limbus ‘hem, border, limbo’.
limbo
noun
• a West Indian dance in which the dancer bends backwards to pass under a horizontal bar which is progressively lowered to a position just above the ground.
limbo
verb
• perform the limbo.
• "the children limboed under the bar"
Origin:
1950s: from limber1.
