WINDOWÜ

noun (Lifestyle and Leisure) (Politics) A period of time, usually of limited duration; used especially in international relations and politics to refer to a limited period during which something may be achieved (a window of opportunity) or during which forces, weapons, etc. are vulnerable to enemy attack (a window of vulnerability). Also, by extension, a gap in one's timetable; a spare moment which can be earmarked for a particular activity. Etymology: Another figurative use of window, this time based on the idea that a window represents an opening in an otherwise solid wall. This sense grew out of a figurative use of window in space exploration: since the sixties, the short period of time during which a rocket or satellite can be launched if it is to reach the required orbit has been known as a launch window. History and Usage: The phrases window of opportunity and window of vulnerability date from the beginning of the eighties, when both were used by US negotiators in relation to the arms race between the US and the Soviet Union; both acquired a wider currency as catch-phrases during the eighties. This perhaps explains why, during the second half of the eighties, the word window became a fashionable piece of executives' jargon for a space in one's diary or Filofax; but it is possible that this is just a piece of visual imagery (referring to the small white space surrounded by the many appointments written in on the page). After the list come the cold calls, which White makes during the crucial half-hour 'window' from 11.45am to 12.15, when some of the initial frenzy has burned off the London markets. Sunday Express Magazine 26 Oct. 1986, p. 17 Instead of fixing the meeting, you are allowed to issue the delicious Coastal phrase, 'I'll leave you a window.' This hole in your schedule can then be cancelled a few days before the event, and you go through the motions all over again. Sunday Telegraph Magazine 19 July 1987, p. 39 Unexpected changes in price or volatility might provide sudden and short-lived windows of opportunity to reduce costs or generate profits. Energy in the News Third Quarter 1988, p. 10