limbo Idiom, Proverb
in limbo
in limbo 1) In a condition of oblivion or neglect, as in
They kept her application in limbo for months. [Early 1600s]
2) 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.
limbo
limbo see
in limbo.