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Mexican standoff

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Mexican standoff is a phrase referring to a strategic deadlock or impasse, in which no party can act in a way that ensures victory.

Origins

The phrase came into usage during the late 19th century. Originally a derogatory reference to perceived Mexican political indecision,[1], it has come to refer to any impasse, regardless of the participants. The phrase is used to describe both armed and unarmed conflicts: for example, it can be used to describe a corporate bidding war that reaches a deadlock.

Cultural references

In popular culture, the Mexican standoff is often portrayed as multiple opponents with weapons aimed at each other, where each opponent is equally threatened and thus does not believe they can strike first without assuring their own destruction.[2][3] The Mexican standoff is now considered a movie cliché due to its frequent use in Spaghetti Westerns and action movies.

See also

Look up mexican standoff in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

References

  1. ^ Almost by definition, a Mexican standoff!, McFarlane, Keele Saturday, July 08, 2006 (retrieved 2007-12-16)
  2. ^ http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main.MexicanStandoff
  3. ^ Movie Death by Mexican Standoff - Movie Deaths Database
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