two-body problem
- noun
- /ˈtuːˈbɑːdi ˈprɒbləm/
- Jargon
:
problema de pareja
- The two-body problem is common among academics.
Examples
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After accepting the job, she worried the two-body problem might force her partner to decline.
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Many universities now offer spousal hiring programs to ease the two-body problem for couples.
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The department struggled with the two-body problem when both applicants required nearby faculty positions.
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Have you heard about the two-body problem faced by researchers?
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Academics often face a two-body problem when both partners receive job offers in the same city.
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The couple experienced a significant two-body problem as they tried to find jobs in the same area.
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When she got a position in New York and he was offered a job in California, they realized they had a two-body problem.
Synonyms
∞
1.2
A situation that causes trouble and needs a solution
How Difficult
Surface Forms
Morphology
two-body + problem
The parts 'two' + 'body' + 'problem' give a general clue that this is a problem involving two people or entities, so a learner could guess some relation to a difficulty between two parties. However, the specific academic/dual-career sense ('partners both seeking employment in the same area') is specialized and not derivable from the literal constituents (and may be confused with the physics 'two-body problem'), so prior exposure is needed for the precise meaning.
Etymology
Two-body problem borrows that physics image: imagine two bodies who must stay together, so finding a job for one person is not enough. That's why it means 'the difficulty two partners have finding jobs in the same area'.