were deadlocking

• past progressive

  past progressive

  Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.

  of deadlock.
  deadlock

  noun

  a state in which progress is impossible, as in a dispute, produced by the counteraction of opposing forces; standstill; stalemate.

Related Words

• dilemma
• gridlock
• plight
• predicament
• standoff
• standstill