logjam

See also: log jam

English

Etymology

From log +‎ jam.

Noun

logjam (plural logjams)

1. An excess of logs being conveyed on a river, so that their motion halts.
2. (figuratively) A clog or such jam or mess that halts or greatly delays progress.

   Efforts to amend the law got sidetracked in an administrative logjam.

   • 1994 August 28, “Mr. Clinton: Break the Logjam”, in The New York Times‎^[1], →ISSN:

     Mr. Clinton can break the logjam by first convincing the public that he is willing to start with small but meaningful victories.

   • 2010 October 18, Ivo H. Daalder, “Breaking a Brussels Logjam”, in The New York Times‎^[2], →ISSN:

     It is in the interest of all NATO and E.U. members to break political logjams. Our personnel operating in the Balkans, Afghanistan, and the Gulf of Aden have already learned that lesson.

Translations

An excess of logs being conveyed on a river

• Dutch: stremming (nl)
• Finnish: tukkisuma
• French: bourrage (fr) m
• German: Verklausung f
• Russian: затор (ru) (zator)
• Swedish: bröt (sv) c

A clog; any jam or mess that halts or greatly delays progress

• Dutch: opstopping (nl), impasse (nl)
• Finnish: ruuhka (fi)
• French: embouteillage (fr) m, impasse (fr) f
• German: Blockade (de) f, Stillstand (de) m
• Russian: тупик (ru) (tupik)
• Spanish: atascamiento m, bloqueo (es) m, obstrucción (es) m, callejón sin salida (es) m, círculo vicioso m, pescadilla que se muerde la cola f

Verb

logjam (third-person singular simple present logjams, present participle logjamming, simple past and past participle logjammed)

1. (transitive) To deliberately impede or delay the progress of.

See also

• bottleneck
• Catch-22
• traffic jam
• vicious circle