put something on a shelf for storage; also means to postpone, delay, or permanently abandon a plan or project.
From 'shelf' (from Old English 'scylfe'), which may come from Old Norse. The metaphorical meaning of 'putting aside' emerged in the 1800s, comparing storing items to storing ideas.
The metaphor is brilliant: just as you literally put books aside on a shelf to deal with later, you mentally 'shelve' problems. But here's the dark side—'shelved' projects rarely return; they're museum pieces of what could have been.
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