half-pregnant
adj.— «The resolution on North Korea belongs to a new set of UN decisions that diplomats refer to as “half-pregnant.” These, though impressive on paper, are subject to “ifs and buts” that render them useless in practice.» —“Eye of the Storm: Security Council to Iran: Go for it” by Amir Taheri Jerusalem Post (Israel) Oct. 19, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
In Korea, fairy tales often begin with the saying In the old days, when tigers used to smoke. Turkish children often hear an opening like this one: Once there was, once there was not, when camels were town criers and fleas were barbers, when I...
The edge of the Grand Canyon. A remote mountaintop. A medieval cathedral. Some places are so mystical you feel like you’re close to another dimension of space and time. There’s a term for such locales: thin places. And: did you ever go...