slow-up

[ sloh-uhp ]

noun

1. a delay or retardation in progress or activity; slowdown.

Word History and Origins

Origin of slow-up¹

First recorded in 1890–95; noun use of verb phrase slow up

Idioms and Phrases

Slacken or cause to slacken in speed, as in The train slowed up as it approached the curve , or Come on, you're slowing me up . [Late 1800s] Also see slow down , def. 1.

Example Sentences

Patrons have noticed the slow-up, too.

From Slate

"I don't look at this as a slow-up or a hiccup," he said.

From Seattle Times

Dorothy Lamour was refused entrance to the Glenn L. Martin plane plant at Middle River, Md., on the ground that a slow-up for ogling and neck-craning "might cost us half a bomber."

From Time Magazine Archive

Like other manufacturers, Chrysler will go into M-4 production without slow-up.

From Time Magazine Archive

Though the unemployment rate in March dropped to 4.7%, the lowest point in seven years, and the Labor Department last week announced that manufacturing jobs have reached a 21-year high, White House economists and Labor Department officials fear that the gain is only temporary and that the first slight slow-up in economic growth will send the unemployment rate climbing toward 5% again.

From Time Magazine Archive

Related Words

• bog down
• embroil
• enmesh
• ensnare
• entangle
• flounder
• implicate
• involve
• stick
• tangle
• trap