"tumbleweed moment" meaning in English

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  "etymology_text": "From the motif in western movies where the wind blows tumbleweeds through the scene, usually to establish that the place is desolate or empty.",
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          "ref": "2004 July 14, Laura Davis, “Arts Diary: STAGE QUIZ”, in Daily Post, Liverpool, England",
          "text": "…real life television news quizzes have the benefit of careful editing to remove the tumbleweed moments.",
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          "ref": "2005 April 1, Trevor Wright, How to Be a Brilliant English Teacher, Routledge, page 78",
          "text": "When you’re wondering if they might just sit there self-consciously not saying anything (a tumbleweed moment) you need to get away from the centre-front, start moving around.",
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        {
          "ref": "2005 December 19, Robert Stansfield, “Gimp ad to shame litter louts”, in The Mirror, London, England",
          "text": "Peter Gibson, of Keep Britain Tidy, said: “in a world of daft pranks, we want littering to be that tumbleweed moment, the joke that falls flat on its face.”",
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        "A period of stony, unresponsive silence."
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        "(British, figuratively, broadcasting) A period of stony, unresponsive silence."
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  "word": "tumbleweed moment"
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