gridlock vs happy hour

gridlock

noun
  • any paralysis of a complex system due to severe congestion, conflict, or deadlock. 

  • A condition of total, interlocking traffic congestion on the streets or highways of a crowded city, in which no one can move because everyone is in someone else's way. 

  • On a smaller scale: the situation in which cars enter a signal-controlled intersection too late during the green light cycle, and are unable to clear the intersection (due to congestion in the next block) when the light turns red, thus blocking the cross traffic when it's their turn to go. Repeated at enough intersections, this phenomenon can lead to citywide gridlock. 

verb
  • To cause traffic congestion. 

happy hour

noun
  • A time of day, usually in the afternoon or early evening, when a bar or pub offers its drinks at a discounted price. 

  • Any small gathering, usually in the afternoon or early evening, set aside to relax and have a drink. 

  • Flowers. 

How often have the words gridlock and happy hour occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )