tumbleweed moment en · NOUN
Etymology
From the motif in western movies where the wind blows tumbleweeds through the scene, usually to establish that the place is desolate or empty.
Meanings
-
(UK, figuratively) A period of stony, unresponsive silence.
When you’re wondering if they might just sit there self-consciously not saying anything (a tumbleweed moment) you need to get away from the centre-front, start moving around.
2005 April 1, Trevor Wright, How to Be a Brilliant English Teacher, Routledge, →ISBN, page 78:Peter Gibson, of Keep Britain Tidy, said: “in a world of daft pranks, we want littering to be that tumbleweed moment, the joke that falls flat on its face.”
2005 December 19, Robert Stansfield, “Gimp ad to shame litter louts”, in The Mirror, London, England:…real life television news quizzes have the benefit of careful editing to remove the tumbleweed moments.
2004 July 14, Laura Davis, “Arts Diary: STAGE QUIZ”, in Daily Post, Liverpool, England:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| tumbleweed moments | Number=Plur | lexicographic |