# twilight zone
## English
### Etymology 1

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

#### Noun

twilight zone (plural twilight zones)
* (astronomy, astrophysics) A moving line that divides the daylit side and the dark night side of a planetary body.
    Synonym: terminator
    Coordinate term: greyline
* (by extension) A region or context located in between others and therefore not subject to their norms.
    Synonym: shadowland
** 1911, Case and Comment:As to this right, therefore, the people have expressly created a twilight zone, in which neither nation nor state can act.
** 1978, Cornelius Cole Smith, Fort Huachuca: The Story of a Frontier Post:They were interesting because they represented a sort of twilight zone separating the "old days" from modern times.
** 1999, Grant Gilmore, Security Interests in Personal Property:...the classification scheme related to goods which lay in a "twilight zone" between consumer goods and equipment or between inventory and farm products.
** 2006, Charles C Marshall, The Roman Catholic Church in the Modern State:But is there not a twilight zone over which both Church and State put forth claims?
* (geography) A deteriorating area surrounding a central business district.
** 2012, George Sternlieb, James W. Hughes, Shopping Centers: U.S.A., page 52:Geographically speaking, the twilight zone encompasses those areas that lie between the central business district and the first ring of suburban shopping centers, many of which are comparatively obsolete.

##### See also

* (physical): crepuscular
* (figurative): grey area

#### Verb

twilight zone (third-person singular simple present twilight zones, present participle twilight zoning, simple past and past participle twilight zoned)
* To put or place into an indeterminate position; to be in an ambiguous, undetermined, or improper context.
** 1989, Jack Kendall, Playing for Keeps:Sometimes I think she's really a gym teacher twilight-zoned into the corridors of government. I'm always surprised to see that it's a gold, clipless Cross pen she's carrying and not a gym whistle.
* (transitive) To cause to daydream or zone out; to cause to lose attention to one's surroundings.
** 1997, James Patterson, Cat & Mouse:"I've been distant and into myself all night," I said. "The kids say I get twilight zoned."

### Etymology 2

From the anthology television series The Twilight Zone, first aired in 1959, whose name was inspired by the astrophysical sense.

#### Noun

twilight zone (plural twilight zones)
* (figuratively) A region in which surreal, supernatural, or fantastic events occur.
** 1996 Christopher Lloyd, "Mixed Doubles," Frasier, Season 4, Episode 6 (originally aired 19 November 1996), spoken by Martin Crane (John Mahoney)
    Oh, I can't talk right now, Duke. I'm in the twilight zone.
** 1998, Eric Chaisson, The Hubble wars: astrophysics meets astropolitics in the two-billion-dollar struggle over the Hubble Space Telescope, Harvard University Press, page 337:Ground controllers were uncertain for some agonizing hours what had happened to the spacecraft [...] "We have entered the twilight zone," dead-panned one jaded engineer.
** 2009, Steve Sisgold, What's Your Body Telling You?: Listening To Your Body's Signals to Stop Anxiety, Erase Self-Doubt and Achieve True Wellness, McGraw-Hill Professional, page 103:Suddenly, to her astonishment and mine, it turned black and blue! I wondered if we'd just entered the twilight zone.

#### Verb

twilight zone (third-person singular simple present twilight zones, present participle twilight zoning, simple past and past participle twilight zoned)
* (intransitive) To experience or perceive something bizarre or fantastic.
** 2016, Bill Roddey, Making ID TV's 'Too Pretty to Live' Crime Show Starring Me:Then a gnome like white haired lady, bent like a human question mark, lurched toward me and asked if I was the mailman. [...] I was Twilight Zoning.
* (intransitive) To behave or occur in a confusing or unexpected manner.
** 2011, David H., Beddington Registry Service review, Yelp:The service is likely from a bad twilight zone episode. [...] I did get what I required but I had to ask lots of questions as the communication was Twilight Zoning often.