Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A usually circular pattern flown by aircraft awaiting clearance to land at an airport.
- n. Informal A state of waiting or delay; a static situation: environmental groups that wish to put oil exploration into a holding pattern.
Wiktionary
- n. A path taken by an aircraft waiting to land.
- n. idiomatic Any failure to advance; useless or unproductive activity.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a state of inaction with no progress and no change
- n. the flight path (usually circular) maintained by an aircraft that is awaiting permission to land
Examples
“The stalemates could shift into a deeper holding pattern in August during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, when the pace of daily life traditionally slows as the Islamic world observes a dawn-to-dusk fast and other customs such as temporary truces.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘holding pattern’.
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phrases (2 to 3 words)
Found Phrases I like. 2 or 3 words.
the majority of these will be placed into more categorically specific lists.
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( _mark...catastrophic failure, gut-wrenching, programming paradigm, supermassive blac..., tangent space, renewable energy, design pattern, deceptively awesome, allegorical super..., emotional truth, ghosts of departe..., inflection point and 939 more...
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personal distaste
good grief, I'm getting irritable.
salvo, taboo, redoubtable, foment, intransigence, disingenuous, infarction, obviate, junta, aetiology, expedited, gerrymandering and 201 more...
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