to hit the buffers
- idiom
- Literature
- After years of rapid growth, the company hit the buffers when the market collapsed.
Examples
-
Negotiations hit the buffers over disagreement about funding.
-
His ambitions to travel the world hit the buffers when he lost his job.
-
Don't let your plans hit the buffers!
-
The project hit the buffers due to lack of funding.
-
The innovative startup hit the buffers after facing regulatory hurdles.
-
Her attempts to finish the novel hit the buffers when she encountered writer's block.
-
The team's progress hit the buffers when they discovered a major flaw in their plans.
Synonyms
To reach a point where you cannot continue because you are very tired or stuck
Reach a point where you cannot continue
Start to fail after a time of success
To face an unexpected problem that prevents progress
To fail badly or have a sudden problem
Start having serious problems that lead to failure
To stop suddenly before you expect it
To reach a stage when a person cannot continue and must make a big change
To suddenly break or stop working in a dramatic way
Face unexpected problems or opposition while doing something
Antonyms
How Sudden
- Specialized
- Literature
- Informal
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal image of 'hit' (strike) + 'buffer' (something that lessens impact or acts as a stopper) supports the idea of coming to a halt, so part of the meaning can be inferred from the constituents. However, the idiomatic extension to plans or projects 'failing' or encountering a serious obstacle is a metaphorical shift and relies on cultural/usage knowledge (e.g. railway buffers), so a B1 learner may not fully predict the figurative sense without prior exposure.
Etymology
Hit the buffers comes from railways, where heavy buffers at the end of a track stop a train when it reaches the end. So when something hits the buffers today, it means 'to come to a sudden stop' or 'to fail' because progress is blocked.