event horizon
n. A major turning point; a point of no return.
Examples
2000
As we sit on the brink of this 'event horizon' for equity markets, you should ask whether this 'black hole' we are entering will deliver us to a new dimension where bulls run freely, or will it tear the market, destroying what we've built up?
—Don Wellenreiter, “Markets at brink of event horizon,” Futures, October 01, 2000
2000
A splendid story, bulging with ideas and extrapolations, even if the closing chapters tend to drop below the plausibility event horizon.
—Ian Stewart & Jack Cohen, “Wheelers,” Kirkus Reviews, September 15, 2000
1986 (earliest)
What was once an exciting and creative industry is caught in decaying orbit around a large body. The few who haven't crossed the event horizon are racing to be first (Commodore and Atari) or are reluctantly promising to do so in order to quiet the analysts (Apple).
—James Austin, “Creativity in Decay,” InfoWorld, June 02, 1986
Notes
In physics, an event horizon is the boundary of a black hole. It's the point where the gravity of the black hole is so intense that not even light can escape.
Filed Under
Some Related Words