stymy

situation, position - a condition or position in which you find yourself; "the unpleasant situation (or position) of having to choose between two evils"; "found herself in a very fortunate situation"

obstacle, obstruction - something immaterial that stands in the way and must be circumvented or surmounted; "lack of imagination is an obstacle to one's advancement"; "the poverty of a district is an obstacle to good education"; "the filibuster was a major obstruction to the success of their plan"

stonewall - obstruct or hinder any discussion; "Nixon stonewalled the Watergate investigation"; "When she doesn't like to face a problem, she simply stonewalls"

foreclose, forestall, preclude, prevent, forbid - keep from happening or arising; make impossible; "My sense of tact forbids an honest answer"; "Your role in the projects precludes your involvement in the competitive project"

filibuster - obstruct deliberately by delaying

check - block or impede (a player from the opposing team) in ice hockey

hang - prevent from reaching a verdict, of a jury

bottleneck - slow down or impede by creating an obstruction; "His laziness has bottlenecked our efforts to reform the system"