twilight zone

Meaning

Noun

1. A moving line that divides the daylit side and the dark night side of a planetary body.
2. A region or context located in between others and therefore not subject to their norms.
3. A deteriorating area surrounding a central business district.

Verb

1. To put or place into an indeterminate position; to be in an ambiguous, undetermined, or improper context.
2. To cause to daydream or zone out; to cause to lose attention to one's surroundings.

Verb

1. To experience or perceive something bizarre or fantastic.
2. To behave or occur in a confusing or unexpected manner.

Synonyms

no man’s land

horizon

Translations

Grauzone

Etymology

Because such a zone (in the literal sense of the term) is twilit; see twilight § Etymology.