be in limbo
1. To be in a spiritual state between heaven and hell after death. He was terrified that he would be in limbo if a priest didn't hear his final confession before he died. I did a lot of bad things when I was younger, so I doubt I'm going upstairs when I die. I'll be in limbo at best. Al's never cared much about religion, but now that he's sick, he's determined not to be in limbo when he dies.
2. To be in a precarious, indefinite, or suspended state or condition in which the outcome is uncertain. The officer looking after my case quit recently, so my application has been in limbo. We're kind of in limbo out here until the French authorities reopen the airports. A: "What's going on with this office?" B: "Things are still in limbo, sir. IT hasn't been able to come down and set up that new connection yet."
in limbo
1. In a spiritual state between heaven and hell after death. He was terrified that he would be trapped in limbo if a priest didn't hear his final confession before he died. I did a lot of bad things when I was younger, so I doubt I'm going upstairs when I die. I'll be in limbo at best. Al's never cared much about religion, but now that he's sick, he's determined not to be in limbo when he dies.
2. In a precarious, indefinite, or suspended state or condition in which the outcome is uncertain. The officer looking after my case quit recently, so my application has been stuck in limbo. We're kind of in limbo out here until the French authorities reopen the airports. A: "What's going on with this office?" B: "Things are still in limbo, sir. IT hasn't been able to come down and set up that new connection yet."
limbo
slang Marijuana grown in Colombia. He was arrested for having three pounds of limbo in his car. He told me it was limbo, but it was definitely some nasty skank weed.
lumbo
slang Marijuana grown in Colombia. He was arrested for having three pounds of lumbo in his car. He told me it was lumbo, but it was definitely some nasty skank weed.
wait in limbo
To be stuck waiting for an uncertain outcome, as in a situation that one cannot control. The officer looking after my case quit recently, so I guess my application has just been waiting in limbo. We're just waiting in limbo out here until the French authorities reopen the airports.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
*in limbo
1. Lit. a region of the afterlife on the border of hell. (In some Christian religions, there is a limbo set aside for souls that do not go to either heaven or hell. This sense is used only in this religious context. *Typically: be ~; remain ~; stay ~.) The baby's soul was in limbo because she had not been baptized.
2. Fig. in a state of neglect; in a state of oblivion; in an indefinite state; on hold. (*Typically: be ~; leave something ~; put something ~.) We'll have to leave the project in limbo for a month or two. After I got hit on the head, I was in limbo for about ten minutes.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
in limbo
1. In a condition of oblivion or neglect, as in They kept her application in limbo for months. [Early 1600s]
2. An intermediate or transitional state, as in After his editor left the firm, his book was in limbo. [Early 1600s] Both usages allude to the theological meaning of limbo, that is, a place outside hell and heaven to which unbaptized infants and the righteous who died before Christ's coming were traditionally consigned.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.