Gorbachev needed to end it because the cost of defence, rising blindly as the army ordered more and more missiles, was bankrupting the Soviet Union. Its economy, stuck in the mud and mired in congenital secrecy, couldn't cope anyway, but the burden of defence profligacy was forcing it to its knees.

The other studios joining the celebrations might crank up the volume, but perhaps it's the clouds louring overhead – stuck-in-the-mud creativity, uncertain revenue streams, growing global competition – that are responsible for the muted jubilation.

Stuck in the mud

Meaning

Adj

Noun