Mexican standoff

Definition

A stalemate, or a confrontation among two or more sides that no side can win.

Etymology

First use appears c. 1876 in the US. Three-way gun standoffs, popularized in spaghetti westerns such as The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (1966), have come to be called Mexican standoffs, though this usage appears to date to the 1990s, notably in reference to Reservoir Dogs (1992); earlier usage refers to this as a three-way standoff or triangular standoff.

Example Sentences

• "“Go-!” said he sternly then. “We will call it a stand-off, a Mexican stand-off, you lose your money, but you save your life!”"
• "‘Monk’ Cline, who got a Mexican stand-off from Dave Rowe has signed with Louisville."
• "“Either way you want it,” says Babbs, grinning in the most frightening manner now, like the next step is eight karate chops to the gizzards and giblets. Suddenly it is a Mexican standoff—with both sides glaring but nobody swinging a punch yet."