in limbo

1. 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.

2. In a condition of oblivion or neglect, as in They kept her application in limbo for months . [Early 1600s]