They would give him a breathing space while he thought out the next move.
What I can certainly do is buy us a breathing space.
What we need at the moment is some breathing space.
But I was happy to have some breathing space of my own.
At any rate, he now had a little breathing space.
It was as if they were to be given a breathing space.
He hadn't left her any breathing space, probably by design.
There was just too much going on, and I needed some breathing space.
That will give us a breathing space to sort things out.
But at least for a little while, there would be some breathing space.
The nights were growing cold, and this brief respite was welcome.
Last summer both got a brief respite when the child went away to camp.
It is a brief and beautiful respite before the battle of the Winter.
There was a brief respite, then out he came again.
After the brief respite, it had been increasing daily once more.
What few victories might come along the way could only be brief respites.
Good men and women in a brief respite from making war.
It may, however, have been but a brief respite from criticism.
That gave them a brief respite, but was hardly good news.
But he is making up for the brief respite now.
Idiome