hiccup
noun

- a problem that delays or interrupts something for a while, but does not usually cause serious difficulties (figurative sense)

(Cambridge Dictionary)

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The word hiccup is imitative of the sound one makes when the diaphragm — the muscle that separates your chest from your abdomen and plays an important role in breathing — involuntarily contracts. Each contraction is followed by a sudden closure of your vocal cords, which produces the characteristic "hic" sound.

The medical term for hiccup is "singultus," Latin for a sob (heavy crying) or speech that is interrupted by a sob. It is also know medically under the complicated-sounding term "synchronous diaphragmatic flutter" or SDF.

Impress your friends with that one the next time you have a bout of hiccups:

"Sorry, but I can't seem to get rid of this synchronous diaphragmatic flutter!"

Hiccup is occasionally written as "hiccough" (hic + cough) under the mistaken impression that hiccups have something to do with coughing.

Because the hiccups (the plural is common since it's rare to experience only one hiccup) usually last only a few minutes, the word is used in a figurative sense to describe a minor problem or obstacle.

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SYNONYMS

bug, glitch, hitch, malfunction, minor problem, setback

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Practice OWAD in conversation today

say something like:

"Apart from a few HICCUPS in the beginning, the project ran very smoothly."