Dic: put on hold

• They put the project on hold until they got enough money to finish it.
• Sorry, but we must put your plan on hold.
• He put his retirement on hold until he had found a solution.
• Plans to buy a hedge fund were put on hold.

put something on hold:

1. to postpone something; to stop the progress of something.
2. PHRASE : PHR after v, v-link PHR | If you put something on hold, you decide not to do it, deal with it, or change it now, but to leave it until later.

Cf:

put someone on hold:

Fig. to stop all activity or communication with someone.

• John put Ann on hold and started dating Mary. "You can't just put me on hold!" cried Ann.

put someone or something on hold:

to put someone or someone's telephone call on an electronic hold.

• Please don't put me on hold! I'm in a hurry!
• I am going to have to put your call on hold.

..... http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/put+on+hold, Cobuild