Used about the way a government runs a country's economy: it spends less and tightens things for a while, then loosens and spends more, then tightens again. The picture is a driver who keeps pressing the brake and then the accelerator, over and over.

Used about the way a government runs a country's economy用來形容政府治理國家經濟的方式：it spends less and tightens things for a while有一陣子花少一點、收緊政策，then loosens and spends more然後又放鬆、多花一點，then tightens again接著又收緊。The picture is a driver畫面就像一個駕駛 who keeps pressing the brake and then the accelerator不停地一下踩煞車、一下踩油門，over and over一次又一次。

It is almost always used before a noun — 'stop-go policies', 'stop-go economics', 'a stop-go approach' — and it is almost always a criticism. Nobody praises their own plan by calling it stop-go; you call someone else's plan that, meaning it has no steady direction and businesses cannot plan ahead.

It is almost always used before a noun它幾乎都放在名詞前面用——'stop-go policies', 'stop-go economics', 'a stop-go approach'像'stop-go policies'（走走停停的政策）、'stop-go economics'、'a stop-go approach'——and it is almost always a criticism而且幾乎都是一種批評。Nobody praises their own plan by calling it stop-go沒有人會用stop-go來稱讚自己的計畫；you call someone else's plan that你會用它來說別人的計畫，meaning it has no steady direction意思是這個計畫沒有穩定的方向 and businesses cannot plan ahead企業沒辦法提前規劃。

The word belongs mostly to British writing about the economy, especially about Britain in the 1950s-70s, and you meet it in newspapers and history books more than in speech. People also stretch it outside economics, to anything that keeps starting and stopping: stop-go traffic, a stop-go building project, stop-go funding for a school.

The word belongs mostly to British writing about the economy這個詞主要屬於英國談經濟的文章，especially about Britain in the 1950s-70s特別是講1950到70年代的英國時，and you meet it in newspapers and history books more than in speech你會在報紙和歷史書裡遇到它，比在口語裡多。People also stretch it outside economics人們也會把它延伸到經濟以外，to anything that keeps starting and stopping用在任何一直啟動又停止的事情上：stop-go traffic走走停停的交通，a stop-go building project一個走走停停的建案，stop-go funding for a school一間學校時有時無的經費。

That looser use is common and safe. There is no verb 'to stop-go'.

That looser use is common and safe這種比較鬆散的用法很常見也很安全。There is no verb 'to stop-go'沒有'to stop-go'這個動詞。