Coffee Shop: What does "hiatus" mean?

So I guess this is breaking up…

Whether reality TV is or isn’t to blame, everyone sure loves drama. Even the faintest hint that a band might be breaking up seems to send message boards–and now even major publications–into the spin cycle. But is that the rumor-spreaders fault or is it thanks to vague and cryptic wording? It used to be pretty clear when a band said they were going "on hiatus" that the members were going their separate ways, possibly indefinitely. But during the past few weeks, bands like Fall Out Boy and the Academy Is… have both been eulogized thanks to the word "hiatus" being thrown around. But in both cases, it seems as though the band aren’t going anywhere at all. As FOB drummer Andy Hurley tweeted, they’re actually just "taking a break." So what do you think? What does "hiatus" mean? Does it mean a band are breaking up? Or does it mean they’re just taking some time off?



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