Alphonse and Gaston

English + Etymology From the name of an American comic strip and its characters, featuring a bumbling pair of Frenchmen with a penchant for politeness. Proper noun en attributive A situation where two people or entities are waiting for each other to proceed, so that neither can take action. en 1981 Bob Evatt FLOWMAP 52 I have noticed myself that even for a single cyclist Palo Alto motorists are too well-wishing, creating the Alphonse and Gaston syndrome that neither will proceed at minor intersections. en September 23 2009 New York Times editorial For years, China and the United States have engaged in a dangerous Alphonse-and-Gaston routine, using each other's inaction to shirk their responsibility. en 2014 Richard Adler Mack, McGraw and the 1913 Baseball Season 108 Collins hit a fly ball, and this time Cobb and Veach did the "Alphonse and Gaston" act, with Collins making it to third base. Related terms en after you, Alphonse See also en deadlock en coordinated pairs eponyms terms derived from fiction