| Definitions | | Mexican standoff |
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idiom
- (slang) A stalemate or a confrontation that neither side can win. In popular culture, the Mexican standoff is usually portrayed as two or more opposing men with guns drawn and ready, creating a very tense situation. Exacerbating the tension is that neither side wants to put down its weapons for fear that its opponents will shoot them. The term is considered derogatory by some, but its widespread use in a non-derogatory sense indicates that it is generally not meant to be offensive by most contemporary English speakers.
- (rail transport) A near-collision between two trains, an averted cornfield meet.
Etymology: The origin of this expression is uncertain, but it is likely that it arose in the American southwest during the late 1800s.
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