Make Your Point > Archived Issues > LIMBO
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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!"
Actually, it was C: bureaucratic limbo. I didn't hear from them one way or the other for months.
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. 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.
Did I list any terms that you might want to review? If so, give them a click.
make your point with...
"LIMBO"
This word comes from a Latin one meaning "edge" or "border."
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.
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."
The limbo we're talking about throughout this issue appears to be unrelated to the limbo, the dance contest. If you now have the limbo song stuck in your head, I apologize.
Pronunciation:
LIM bo
Part of speech:
Noun, the uncountable kind: "they're trapped in limbo," "it remains in limbo."
Other forms:
None are common. If you need an adjective, try "limbo-like."
How to use it:
This fun-to-say word does have a negative tone. No one appreciates being left in limbo.
But we can throw the word "limbo" around pretty loosely; it's not weighed down by heavy theological undertones, despite its origins in theology. 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.
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.
Although 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.
You can also talk about ending a limbo, freeing people from limbo, etc.
Occasionally we tack on an adjective: legal limbo, bureaucratic limbo, constitutional limbo.
examples:
"But [Vicky Dobrin, a Seattle immigration attorney,] 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."
— Danny Westneat, Seattle Times, 14 June 2019
"As a girl, [Nicole] was raised by an enchanting gaggle of friendly woodland creatures in the foothills of the Pacific Northwest, where she frolicked in lush green meadows by day and nested in a cozy thicket by night. Nicole currently exists in post-grad limbo near Seattle, where she survives by scavenging for bits of bread overlooked by native waterfowl."
— Nicole McKaig, probably, Points in Case, 2019
has this page helped you understand "limbo"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "limbo" without saying "in-between spot" or "undecided status."
try it out:
Fill in the blanks: "_____ dwell in limbo, destined, maybe, for _____ or _____."
Example: "His three previous cell phones dwell in limbo, destined, maybe, for a science project or a recycling bin."
before you review, play:
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
This month, we're playing Name Those Synonyms!
We're enjoying the gracefully written, ultra-authoritative explanations in Funk & Wagnalls Standard Handbook of Synonyms, Antonyms, and Prepositions. In each issue, check out the passage from the book, and see if you can figure out which synonyms are being distinguished.
From the previous issue: What four synonyms (<1>, <2>, <3>, and <4>) does the Handbook distinguish below?
Choose from the following word bank, which also includes words you won't use: dainty, delectable, delicious, delightful, exquisite, luscious, savory, yummy.
"That is <1> which affords a gratification at once vivid and delicate to the senses, especially to those of taste and smell, as, <1> fruit, a <1> odor; <2> has a kindred but more fulsome meaning, inclining toward a cloying excess of sweetness or richness. <3> is applied chiefly to cooked food made palatable by spices and condiments. <4> may be applied to the higher gratifications of sense, as <4> music, but is also used for that which is mental and spiritual."
Answers:
<1> is "delicious."
<2> is "luscious."
<3> is "savory."
<4> is "delightful."
Try this today: What four synonyms (<1>, <2>, <3>, and <4>) does the Handbook distinguish below?
Choose from the following word bank, which also includes words you won't use: considerable, critical, decisive, essential, grave, important, momentous, serious, weighty.
"That is <1> which means much with reference to some desired result; <1> is thus a stronger word than <2>. <3> is stronger still, signifying of such weight or consequence as to make other matters seem trivial by comparison. The Old English <4> applies to statements or decisions which have power by and of themselves, with less reference to an effect upon the result than <1> matters; many <4> reasons may be overmatched by one <3> consideration."
Bonus challenge: Recall the fine differences among "eager," "earnest," and "anxious." You can view the answer in this issue.
review this word:
1. A close opposite of LIMBO is
A. QUANDARY.
B. SKULLDUGGERY.
C. TERRA FIRMA.
2. In The Terminal, Tom Hanks's character hangs in limbo in the JFK airport. The film's tagline: _____
A. "Life is waiting."
B. "Failure is not an option."
C. "Discover how it all began."
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
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Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
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!"
"LIMBO" This word comes from a Latin one meaning "edge" or "border."
"But [Vicky Dobrin, a Seattle immigration attorney,] 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."
Explain the meaning of "limbo" without saying "in-between spot" or "undecided status."
Fill in the blanks: "_____ dwell in limbo, destined, maybe, for _____ or _____."
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
1. A close opposite of LIMBO is
|