grind to a halt en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
From windmills. To stop a windmill from turning too quickly, such as during a strong gust of wind, excess corn would be poured between the grinding stone (top stone) and the nether stone (bottom stone). The extra pressure would cause the stones to slow down or literally "grind to a halt", and thereby stop the windmill from turning.
Meanings
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(intransitive, of an activity) To come to a standstill, or cease to be productive or make progress, due to an obstacle.
But to no avail - the suburban (Sunday) service ground to a halt, with only 20 of the 268 motormen turning up for work on Boxing Day [1949]. Kempton Park races lost 10,000 visitors, with the cancellation of 12 extra race day trains.
2023 December 27, David Turner, “Silent lines...”, in RAIL, number 999, page 29:Work on the new high-rise ground to a halt as contractors tried to deal with all the red tape.
After the visionary's death, work on his ideas ground to a halt.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ground to a halt | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| ground to a halt | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| grinding to a halt | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| grinds to a halt | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic |
Translations (8)
mi urutū (to bring to a stop or halt) · fr se bloquer (to bring to a stop or halt) · fr s'arrêter net (to bring to a stop or halt) · fi pysähtyä (to bring to a stop or halt) · fr s'immobiliser (to bring to a stop or halt) · fr se gripper (to bring to a stop or halt) · fr se paralyser (to bring to a stop or halt) · ru остановиться (to bring to a stop or halt)