"in fits and starts" meaning in English

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  "lang_code": "en",
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      "glosses": [
        "intermittently, jerkily"
      ],
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        [
          "intermittently",
          "intermittently"
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        [
          "jerkily",
          "jerkily"
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      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "fitfully"
        },
        {
          "word": "discontinuously"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "ca",
          "lang": "Catalan",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "a empentes i rodolons"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "par à-coups"
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        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "a singhiozzo"
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        {
          "code": "es",
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          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "a trompicones"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "a trancas y barrancas"
        },
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          "code": "sv",
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          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "stötvis"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
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          "sense": "Translations",
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  "word": "in fits and starts"
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          "jerkily",
          "jerkily"
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  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "fitfully"
    },
    {
      "word": "discontinuously"
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  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "a empentes i rodolons"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
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      "word": "par à-coups"
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      "code": "it",
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      "code": "es",
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      "word": "a trompicones"
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    {
      "code": "es",
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      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "a trancas y barrancas"
    },
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  "word": "in fits and starts"
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