unfinished business

English

Noun

unfinished business (uncountable)

1. A matter that still has to be completed or dealt with, sometimes with an ominous or threatening implication.
   • 2001 May 12, Robert Potts, quoting Paul Muldoon, “The poet at play”, in The Guardian‎^[1], →ISSN:

     He gives the impression that it took time for him to come to terms with his feelings towards her, admitting that, “I'm sure we had some unfinished business”, […]

   • 2024 November 13, Dickon Ross, “Opinion”, in RAIL, number 1022, page 3:

     The measures for rail that were genuinely new were welcomed, although some had hoped for more. Many of these tied up loose ends around the network - unfinished business left hanging by the last government.

   1. One or more things that a person intended or was destined to do in life, and cannot escape the earthly realm even after death until completed.

Translations

matter that still has to be dealt with

• Italian: questione in sospeso f
• Spanish: asignatura pendiente (es) f, asunto pendiente m

Further reading

• “unfinished business”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “unfinished business”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.