dry spell

plural dry spells

1. A drawn-out period where the weather has been dry, for an abnormally long time; shorter and not as severe as a drought.

   The rains, it seemed, were over, and a dry spell was upon them […]

   1996, M.G. Vassangi, The Book Of Secrets, page 74

   2 more examples

   Mississippi in the middle of a dry spell / Jimmy Rogers on the Victrola up high

   1989, Christopher Ward, David Tyson, “Black Velvet”, performed by Alannah Myles

   The only place unaffected by the persistent dry spell was the city of Milwaukee […]

   2003, Denise Gess, William Lutz, Firestorm at Peshtigo, page 42

2. figurativelyA period or time where there is little activity, productivity, low income etc.

   The first type is of course the dry spell when you can't think of any ideas. The second type is when kids just have a dry spell in writing.

   1970, Gabriel H. L. Jacobs, When children think, page 31

3. figurativelyA period of time without sexual intercourse.

   There's no telling when the serial dating bug can strike. You may be just getting out of a serious relationship, marriage, or long dry spell. But one thing's for certain: when it does it can become a really hard habit to break.

   2007, Elina Furman, Kiss and Run, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 87