B727 CREW INBOUND TO HOU IS CLRED BY ARTCC TO A FIX AND HOLD. PRIOR TO REACHING THE FIX; ARTCC CLRS THE FLT TO CONTINUE THE ARR AND CHANGES FLT TO APCH CTL. THE APCH CTLR EXPECTED THE FLT TO MAKE A TURN IN HOLDING PATTERN BEFORE STARTING IN.

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ON OCT/XA/98 AT ABOUT XA00; ACR FLT XXX APCHED SBI FROM OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO WITH HOLDING INSTRUCTIONS DUE TO WX AND TFC AT IAH. SHORTLY (5-8 MI) BEFORE SBI; THE FO; SO AND I HEARD ZHU CLR US TO 'CONTINUE WITH THE SBI 5 ARR AND DSND TO FL220.' AT SBI I MADE A L TURN TO CONTINUE INBOUND ON THE ARR INSTEAD OF A L TURN TO MAKE A STANDARD ENTRY INTO THE HOLD PATTERN E OF THE FIX. WE WERE THEN HANDED OFF TO IAH APCH CTL ON 120.05. APCH CTL CLRED US TO DSND TO 17000 FT; BUT THEN HESITATED AND ASKED IF WE WERE TURNING IN THE HOLDING PATTERN. THE FO WAS UNSURE OF THE QUESTION SO I ANSWERED THAT WE HAD BEEN CLRED FOR THE ARR. APCH REPLIED THAT THAT WAS NOT OUR CLRNC AND INSTRUCTED US TO TURN TO A HDG OF 180 DEGS. AFTER TAKING US OUT A FEW MI SHE CLRED US DIRECT TO SMITH INTXN AND TO CROSS SMITH AT 10000 FT AND 250 KTS IF WE WERE ABLE. WE ASSURED HER WE WERE ABLE AND DID SO. WHEN HANDING US OFF TO THE NEXT FREQ THE CTLR THANKED US FOR OUR HELP AND NOTHING MORE WAS SAID OF THE MISUNDERSTANDING. THOUGH NO MENTION OF A PENDING VIOLATION OR REQUEST TO CONTACT CTR OR APCH WAS MADE; I FEEL THAT THIS RPT SHOULD BE MADE IN AN EFFORT TO CLARIFY THE SIT AS I UNDERSTAND IT. COMS IN THIS AREA ARE NORMALLY CONGESTED AND WHEN HOLDING IS IN PROGRESS EVEN WORSE. WE ARE ALL AWARE OF THIS AND TRY TO REMAIN ESPECIALLY ALERT TO COMS IN THIS AREA. I DO NOT WISH TO FIX BLAME FOR THE OCCURRENCE; JUST NOTIFY YOU OF ANOTHER INCIDENT OF MISUNDERSTANDING IN THIS CONGESTED AIRSPACE.