'But says there's no application for these visa waivers, and even strong cases like Ahmed's are disappeared into limbo - in his case for 2 1/2 years now, and counting.' Occasionally we tack on an adjective: legal limbo, bureaucratic limbo, constitutional limbo. You can also talk about ending a limbo, freeing people from limbo, etc. Talk about people being in limbo, living in limbo, waiting in limbo, hanging in limbo, remaining in limbo, being thrown or tossed into limbo, being caught or trapped in limbo, being left in limbo, etc.Īlthough it's usually people in limbo, it can also be plans, issues, questions, decisions, possibilities, potential improvements, and so on that are left to wait around in limbo. Maybe that's because it makes people think of the limbo dance, and it's hard to frown and think of mortality, judgment, and the afterlife while imagining people wearing pointy hats, gripping red solo cups as they shimmy under a pole. No one appreciates being left in limbo.īut we can throw the word 'limbo' around pretty loosely it's not weighed down by heavy theological undertones, despite its origins in theology. This fun-to-say word does have a negative tone. None are common. If you need an adjective, try 'limbo-like.' Noun, the uncountable kind: 'they're trapped in limbo,' 'it remains in limbo.' If you now have the limbo song stuck in your head, I apologize. The limbo we're talking about throughout this issue appears to be unrelated to the limbo, the dance contest. So, in general, we use the word 'limbo' to mean either 'a state of being put away and forgotten,' or, more commonly, ' an uncertain state or status, usually somewhere in between two well-defined states.' In theology, Limbo is believed to be a place just on the border of Hell, where people go after they die if they haven't been specifically assigned to either Heaven or Hell. This word comes from a Latin one meaning 'edge' or 'border.' With each, we're empowered to confront some situation that seems, on the surface, very simple-A-or-B, yes-or-no, either-or, black-or-white, Manichaean-and to discover the situation's real complexities.ĭid I list any terms that you might want to review? If so, give them a click. It was unpleasant being in limbo, but I love the term limbo, for the same reason I love the terms via media, tertium quid, and false dichotomy. I didn't hear from them one way or the other for months. I remember being a grad student, sending off a research proposal to the review board, rubbing my hands together in excitement and thinking, 'Great! Soon they'll either tell me, A, I just need to make some adjustments, or B, I can start my research!'Īctually, it was C: bureaucratic limbo.

Being in limbo synonyms