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Phrase(s): *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.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
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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.
American Heritage Idioms