- sticking point
- noun Date: 1946 an item (as in negotiations) resulting or likely to result in an impasse
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
sticking point
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sticking point — sticking points also sticking point N COUNT: usu sing A sticking point in a discussion or series of negotiations is a point on which the people involved cannot agree and which may delay or stop the talks. A sticking point is also one aspect of a… … English dictionary
Sticking point — Sticking Stick ing, a. & n. from {Stick}, v. [1913 Webster] {Sticking piece}, a piece of beef cut from the neck. [Eng.] {Sticking place}, the place where a thing sticks, or remains fast; sticking point. [1913 Webster] But screw your courage to… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
sticking point — sticking place, sticking point The phrase sticking point is first recorded in 1826, and in its common modern meaning ‘the limit reached of progress, agreement, etc.’ not until the 1960s. The allusion is to a line in Shakespeare s Macbeth… … Modern English usage
sticking point — sticking .point n [singular] something that a group of people cannot agree on and that stops them from making progress ▪ North Korea s refusal had long been a sticking point … Dictionary of contemporary English
sticking point — A sticking point is a controversial issue that blocks progress in negotiations, etc, where compromise is unlikely or impossible … The small dictionary of idiomes
sticking point — n. 1. a point beyond which someone or something will not budge 2. a point or issue that causes action, negotiations, etc. to come to a standstill … English World dictionary
sticking point — noun a point at which an impasse arises in progress toward an agreement or a goal • Hypernyms: ↑detail, ↑item, ↑point * * * noun, pl ⋯ points [count] : something that people disagree about and that prevents progress from being made in discussions … Useful english dictionary
sticking point — A sticking point is a controversial issue that blocks progress in negotiations, etc, where compromise is unlikely or impossible. (Dorking School Dictionary) *** A sticking point is a controversial issue that causes an interruption or… … English Idioms & idiomatic expressions
sticking point — UK [ˈstɪkɪŋ ˌpɔɪnt] / US noun [countable] Word forms sticking point : singular sticking point plural sticking points something that people cannot agree on and that stops them from continuing with a discussion … English dictionary
sticking point — 1. a point, detail, or circumstance causing or likely to cause a stalemate or impasse: The bill would have gone through the Senate quickly but for one sticking point. 2. See sticking place (def. 1). [1820 30] * * * … Universalium
sticking point — noun a) A disputed issue or state of affairs that causes an interruption or outright impasse in progress towards some goal or resolution, especially in negotiation or … Wiktionary
