tie-up
     n 1: a social or business relationship; "a valuable financial
          affiliation"; "he was sorry he had to sever his ties
          with other members of the team"; "many close
          associations with England" [syn: {affiliation}, {association},
           {tie}]
     2: an interruption of normal activity [syn: {stand}, {standstill}]
Source: WordNet® 2.0