bottle neck
Flow-restricting narrowing point
A bottleneck is a narrow section that restricts flow—originally the constricted neck of a bottle where liquid slows to a trickle.
The word extends to any point where movement or progress is constrained: Traffic hit a bottleneck at the bridge, The approval process became a bottleneck for new projects.
In music, a bottleneck is a glass or metal tube slid along guitar strings to produce a gliding tone.
- congestionExcessive accumulation causing blockage
- rush hourBusiest commuting period
- blockageObstruction halting movement
- chokeObstruct breathing or airflow
- choke pointConstricted passage limiting movement
narrow · narrow passage · single lane · constraint · traffic · traffic jam · slowdown · backup · gridlock · jam · restriction · obstruction · funnel · squeeze · pinch · throughput · capacity · delay
bottle neckopen highway
free flow · open channel · wide open · thoroughfare · expressway
bottle neckstreamlined process
Simplified, faster method
accelerator · enabler · facilitator · catalyst · fast track