stop-and-go
Lurching through traffic
Stop-and-go describes movement that alternates between motion and halting, typically in traffic: We crawled through stop-and-go traffic for an hour.
The term captures the frustrating rhythm of congested roads where vehicles repeatedly accelerate only to brake again.
It extends to any process marked by interruptions rather than smooth progress: The negotiations have been stop-and-go for months.
Excessive accumulation causing blockage
- gridlockComplete mutual obstruction
- bumper-to-bumperVehicles packed without gaps
- commuteRegular work travel
- rush hourBusiest commuting period
bottleneck · taillight · brake lights · jam · crawl · backup · intersection · signal
Occurring irregularly, infrequently
- stutteringInvoluntary speech disfluency
- haltingMarked by hesitation
- fitfulIrregular and spasmodic
- irregularDeviating from normal patterns
jerky · staccato · herky-jerky · uneven · discontinuous · erratic · choppy · interrupted
Reducing speed deliberately
- acceleratingIncreasing in speed
- pedalFoot-operated lever
- clutchMechanism linking engine to gearbox
- automaticOperating without intervention
transmission · fuel consumption · gas mileage · coasting · city driving · urban · manual · throttle
congestion
Excessive accumulation causing blockage
- gridlockComplete mutual obstruction
- bumper-to-bumperVehicles packed without gaps
- commuteRegular work travel
rush hour · bottleneck · taillight · brake lights · jam · crawl · backup · intersection · signal · red light
sporadic
Occurring irregularly, infrequently
- stutteringInvoluntary speech disfluency
- haltingMarked by hesitation
- fitfulIrregular and spasmodic
irregular · jerky · staccato · herky-jerky · uneven · discontinuous · erratic · choppy · interrupted · pulsing
braking
Reducing speed deliberately
- acceleratingIncreasing in speed
- pedalFoot-operated lever
- clutchMechanism linking engine to gearbox
automatic · transmission · fuel consumption · gas mileage · coasting · city driving · urban · manual · throttle · deceleration
- commutecommute, commuter, rush hour, traffic, traffic jam
- intermittentintermittent, sporadic, periodic, on-off, discontinuous
- traffictraffic jam, congestion, traffic, gridlock, traffic congestion
- feintsfeint, fake, juke, deke, head fake
- racing penaltiesdisqualification, time penalty, penalty points, black flag, drive-through
- racing rulesdisqualification, false start, eligibility, penalty points, interference
stop-and-gofree-flowing
Moving without restriction
unimpeded · open road · smooth · uninterrupted · clear
stop-and-gosteady
Fixed, not fluctuating
smooth · continuous · constant · uninterrupted · fluid
stop-and-goeffortless
Requiring no strain
unhindered · unobstructed · streamlined · efficient · brisk