Roadblock That Metaphor!

A number of proposed high-tech business ventures have recently gone bust or been postponed. The vexing question: How many droll ways are there to say “trouble on the information superhighway”? Journalists are working hard to exhaust the metaphoric possibilities:

Wall Street Journal — hurdles

New York Post — obstacles

— potholes

Washington Post — roadblocks

CNN’s Moneyline — construction delays

— detours

New York Times — ruts

— bottlenecks

— traffic mishaps

— speed traps

— lingering roadbed damage

Computer Shopper — hitting the brakes

CNN Moneyweek — casualties

Los Angeles Times — stalled in the break-down lane

— road kill

Network World — ditch

— side street

— dead end

Houston Chronicle — pileups

— jackknifing