holding operation

British  

noun

1. a plan or procedure devised to prolong the existing situation

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Example Sentences

The window has only increased the sense that the rest of this season will be a mixture of holding operation and damage limitation until Amorim can put more of his stamp on the squad in the summer.

From BBC

The mood around England seems increasingly gripped by a sense of drift, a holding operation with Carsley as the front man while Tuchel strangely waits in the wings before taking charge.

From BBC

It was a bitter pill to swallow, but dig deeper into Chelsea's display and they might just find a sweeter taste with clear signs that better times may finally be on the way under Pochettino after the dismal sequence under Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter, followed by the nonsensical holding operation under Frank Lampard.

From BBC

Club legend Frank Lampard has conducted a less-than-successful holding operation in which they went out of the Champions League to Real Madrid and suffered top-flight losses that left them lurching in mid-table and out of European competition.

From BBC

In truth, though, this was little more than a massive holding operation.

From The Guardian