traffic jam
noun- Victorian Londoners did not speak of 'traffic jams' - that term came from America after the First World War. They spoke rather of traffic 'locks' or 'blocks', and their prevalence would be one reason why Pearson began to direct his thoughts underground.2012, Andrew Martin, Underground Overground: A passenger's history of the Tube, Profile Books, →ISBN, page 17:
- Driving in London next week ? Then watch out for the big traffic-jam spots – the places where you may well face a wait if you cannot go another way.1965 October 8, “If you are driving next week... these are the black spots to avoid”, in The Evening News and Star:
- Related terms
- phantom jam, tailback, gapers' block, gridlock