dead air

[Tedwonny]

I was wondering whether the phrase "dead air" is appropriate when referring to a situation where nobody is speaking for some time among a few people, say, in a group discussion and more often than not, the participants can feel some awkwardness.

Any other terms referring to such a situation?

[SoothingDave]

"Dead air" usually refers to silence on a broadcast (particularly on the radio).

With a group of people talking, it would be referred to as an "awkward silence" or "uncomfortable silence."

[Odessa Dawn]

Also, I came across the underlined term in the below text yesterday night & I couldn't understand it. Does it mean uninhabited areas or areas where radars don't exist? As a result, we need answers for both terms.


The Sudanese minister said Israeli planes used electronic countermeasures to avoid detection by Sudanese air defenses, but experts say they could have flown over "dead areas" where they could not be detected by radars. In any case, the Sudanese cannot prove Israel attacked the arms factory.

More: Khartoum flames seen in Iran - Israel Opinion, Ynetnews

[SoothingDave]

The text you cite defines the term for you. "Where they could not be detected by radar."

[emsr2d2]

We use the same sort of term when we talk about going into an area where we suddenly don't have a signal on our mobile phone/cellphone. It's a "dead area" or a "dead zone".