ACR CLEARED FOR TKOF AT HOU IS THEN INSTRUCTED TO HOLD POS; CTLR ISSUED GAR TO ACFT ON FINAL; ATC SPACING JUDGEMENT QUESTIONED.

Narrative

AS WE WERE TAXIING TOWARD RWY 12R WE WERE TOLD BY TWR THERE WAS AN ACFT ON A 4 NM FINAL TO THE SAME RWY AND TO TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD ON RWY 12R; WHICH WE DID. WE WERE THEN SUBSEQUENTLY CLRED FOR TKOF AND TOLD TO FLY A SPECIFIC HDG. I; AS THE PF; DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THE HDG WE WERE TOLD TO FLY SO I QUERIED THE TWR CTLR. THE TWR CTLR THEN TOLD US TO 'HOLD YOUR POS' WHICH WE INTERPED AS 'CANCEL YOUR TKOF CLRNC.' THE TWR CTLR THEN SAID '(CALL SIGN) ON A 3 NM FINAL GO AROUND.' AFTER HE SENT THE ACFT ON FINAL AROUND; HE THEN RECLRED US FOR TKOF WITHOUT ANY FURTHER INCIDENT. AS A SIDE NOTE; AFTER WE WERE CLBING OUT; THE TWR CTLR SUBSEQUENTLY DID THE EXACT THING WITH THE NEXT ACFT BEHIND US. HE CLRED HIM FOR TKOF THEN SUBSEQUENTLY CANCELED HIS TKOF CLRNC. THE 2 BIGGEST PROBS WITH THIS INCIDENT WERE THE NONSTANDARD PHRASEOLOGY TO CANCEL OUR TKOF CLRNC AND TWR'S INADEQUATE SPACING BTWN LNDG AND DEPARTING ACFT. LISTENING TO SEVERAL OF THE TWR CTLR'S XMISSIONS AND OBSERVING HIS HANDLING OF ACFT; IT WAS APPARENT THAT HIS EXPERIENCE LEVEL WAS LOW AND THAT HE WASN'T COMFORTABLE WITH PROPER PROCS. IT APPEARED HE WAS PUSHING THE LIMITS WITH ACFT SPACING WHICH WAS MAKING HIM A BIT NERVOUS.