Mexican standoff: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Type of confrontation}} |
{{Short description|Type of confrontation}} |
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A '''Mexican standoff ''' is a confrontation where no strategy exists that allows any party to achieve victory.<ref>{{cite book | title=Dealing with Dilemmas: Where Business Analytics Fall Short | author=Buytendijk, Frank | publisher=Wiley | year=2010 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_GFs9zomoSQC | isbn=978-0-470-76848-8 | page=20}}</ref><ref name="concise">{{cite book | title=Concise Dictionary of English Combined (idioms, Phrases, Proverbs, Similes) | author=V&S Editorial Board | publisher=V&S Publishers | year=2015 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W6E3DwAAQBAJ | page=94| isbn=9789352150502 }}</ref> |
A '''Mexican standoff ''' is a confrontation where no strategy exists that allows any party to achieve victory.<ref>{{cite book | title=Dealing with Dilemmas: Where Business Analytics Fall Short | author=Buytendijk, Frank | publisher=Wiley | year=2010 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_GFs9zomoSQC | isbn=978-0-470-76848-8 | page=20}}</ref><ref name="concise">{{cite book | title=Concise Dictionary of English Combined (idioms, Phrases, Proverbs, Similes) | author=V&S Editorial Board | publisher=V&S Publishers | year=2015 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W6E3DwAAQBAJ | page=94| isbn=9789352150502 }}</ref> Anyone initiating aggression might trigger their own demise. At the same time, the parties are unable to extract themselves from the situation without either negotiating a truce or suffering a loss, maintaining strategic tension until one of those three potential organic outcomes occurs or some outside force intervenes. |
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The term ''Mexican standoff'' was originally used in the context of using firearms and it still commonly implies a situation in which the parties face some form of threat from the |
The term ''Mexican standoff'' was originally used in the context of using firearms and it still commonly implies a situation in which the parties face some form of threat from one-another; the standoffs can span from someone holding a phone threatening to call the police being held in check by a [[blackmail]]er, to global confrontations. |
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The Mexican standoff as an armed stalemate is a recurring [[Trope (cinema)|cinematic trope]]. |
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== Etymology == |
== Etymology == |
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Sources claim the reference is to the [[Mexican–American War]] or post-war Mexican bandits in the 19th century.<ref name="worddet" /> |
Sources claim the reference is to the [[Mexican–American War]] or post-war Mexican bandits in the 19th century.<ref name="worddet" /> |
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The earliest known use of the phrase in print was on 19 March 1876, in a short story about Mexico |
The earliest known use of the phrase in print was on 19 March 1876, in a short story about Mexico, featuring the line:<ref>"Mexican, n. and adj.". OED Online. March 2018. Oxford University Press.</ref> |
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{{blockquote|"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!" | F. Harvey Smith, ''Sunday Mercury'', New York, 1876<ref>{{cite news | newspaper=Albuquerque Journal | date=January 16, 2019 | page=A15 | last=Helgesen | first=Stephan | title=Our nation is stuck in a standoff | url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/117719739/mexican-standoff-albuquerque-journal/}}</ref>}} |
{{blockquote|"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!" | F. Harvey Smith, ''Sunday Mercury'', New York, 1876<ref>{{cite news | newspaper=Albuquerque Journal | date=January 16, 2019 | page=A15 | last=Helgesen | first=Stephan | title=Our nation is stuck in a standoff | url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/117719739/mexican-standoff-albuquerque-journal/}}</ref>}} |
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== Popular culture == |
== Popular culture == |
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In |
In popular culture, the term ''Mexican standoff'' references confrontations in which neither opponent appears to have a measurable advantage. Historically, commentators have used the term to reference the [[Soviet Union]] – [[United States]] nuclear confrontation during the [[Cold War]], specifically the [[Cuban Missile Crisis]] of 1962. The key element that makes such situations ''Mexican standoffs'' is the perceived equality of power exercised amongst the involved parties.<ref name="worddet">{{citation|url=http://www.word-detective.com/2011/03/mexican-standoff/|title=Mexican standoff|work=The Word Detective|access-date=2013-03-21}}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=February 2015}} The inability of any particular party to advance its position safely is a condition common amongst all standoffs; in a "Mexican standoff", however, there is an additional disadvantage: no party has a safe way to ''withdraw'' from its position, thus making the standoff effectively permanent. |
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In financial circles, the Mexican standoff is typically used to denote a situation where one side wants something, a concession of some sort, and is offering nothing of value.{{citation needed|date=February 2019}} When the other side sees no value in agreeing to any changes, they refuse to negotiate. Although both sides may benefit from the change, neither side can agree to adequate compensation for agreeing to the change, and nothing is accomplished. |
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The [[cliché]] of a Mexican standoff where each party is threatening another with a gun is now considered a movie [[Trope (cinema)|trope]], stemming from its frequent use as a [[plot device]] in cinema. A notable example is in [[Sergio Leone]]'s 1966 Western ''[[The Good, the Bad and the Ugly]]'', where the characters representing each played by [[Clint Eastwood]], [[Lee Van Cleef]] and [[Eli Wallach]], face each other in a showdown.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SRNB0B5c0DAC&pg=PT96 | title=Professional Storyboarding: Rules of Thumb | publisher=Taylor & Francis | author=Jew, Anson | year=2013 | pages=83 | isbn=978-1-136-12677-2}}</ref><ref name="lbckmstrbbc">[http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160210-the-lasting-legacy-of-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly Buckmaster, Luke. "The lasting legacy of ''The Good, the Bad and the Ugly''", BBC.com, Wednesday 10 February 2016.] Retrieved October 26,2018</ref> |
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Director [[John Woo]], considered a major influence on the [[action film]] genre, is known for his |
Director [[John Woo]], considered a major influence on the [[action film]] genre, is known for his use of Mexican standoffs.<ref name="BBC">{{cite news|last1=Pierce|first1=Nev|title=Calling The Shots: John Woo|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/callingtheshots/john_woo.shtml|publisher=[[BBC]]|date=24 September 2014}}</ref> Director [[Quentin Tarantino]] (who has cited Woo as an influence) has featured Mexican standoff scenes in films including ''[[Inglourious Basterds]]'' (the tavern scene features multiple Mexican standoffs including meta-discussion) and both ''[[Reservoir Dogs]]'' and ''[[Pulp Fiction]]'', which depicts a standoff among four characters in the climactic scene.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YSkQAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA45 | title=Pulp Fiction: The Complete Story of Quentin Tarantino's Masterpiece | publisher=Voyageur Press | author=Bailey, Jason | year=2013 | pages=45 | isbn=978-0-7603-4479-8}}</ref> |
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== See also == |
== See also == |
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* [[Catch-22 (logic)]] |
* [[Catch-22 (logic)]] |
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* [[Deadlock]] |
* [[Deadlock]] |
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* [[ |
* [[Mutual assured destruction]] |
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* [[Pareto efficiency]]/[[Pareto optimality]] |
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* [[Polish parliament (expression)]] |
* [[Polish parliament (expression)]] |
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* [[Prisoner's dilemma]] |
* [[Prisoner's dilemma]] |
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== External links == |
== External links == |
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{{Wiktionary}} |
* {{Wiktionary-inline|Mexican standoff}}<!-- Proper noun --> |
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[[Category:English-language idioms]] |
[[Category:English-language idioms]] |
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[[Category:English phrases]] |
[[Category:English phrases]] |
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[[Category:Phrases]] |
[[Category:Phrases]] |
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[[Category:1870s neologisms]] |
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Revision as of 21:54, 20 May 2024
A Mexican standoff is a confrontation where no strategy exists that allows any party to achieve victory.[1][2] Anyone initiating aggression might trigger their own demise. At the same time, the parties are unable to extract themselves from the situation without either negotiating a truce or suffering a loss, maintaining strategic tension until one of those three potential organic outcomes occurs or some outside force intervenes.
The term Mexican standoff was originally used in the context of using firearms and it still commonly implies a situation in which the parties face some form of threat from one-another; the standoffs can span from someone holding a phone threatening to call the police being held in check by a blackmailer, to global confrontations.
The Mexican standoff as an armed stalemate is a recurring cinematic trope.
Etymology
Sources claim the reference is to the Mexican–American War or post-war Mexican bandits in the 19th century.[3]
The earliest known use of the phrase in print was on 19 March 1876, in a short story about Mexico, featuring the line:[4]
"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!"
— F. Harvey Smith, Sunday Mercury, New York, 1876[5]
Popular culture
In popular culture, the term Mexican standoff references confrontations in which neither opponent appears to have a measurable advantage. Historically, commentators have used the term to reference the Soviet Union – United States nuclear confrontation during the Cold War, specifically the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. The key element that makes such situations Mexican standoffs is the perceived equality of power exercised amongst the involved parties.[3][unreliable source?] The inability of any particular party to advance its position safely is a condition common amongst all standoffs; in a "Mexican standoff", however, there is an additional disadvantage: no party has a safe way to withdraw from its position, thus making the standoff effectively permanent.
The cliché of a Mexican standoff where each party is threatening another with a gun is now considered a movie trope, stemming from its frequent use as a plot device in cinema. A notable example is in Sergio Leone's 1966 Western The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, where the characters representing each played by Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach, face each other in a showdown.[6][7]
Director John Woo, considered a major influence on the action film genre, is known for his use of Mexican standoffs.[8] Director Quentin Tarantino (who has cited Woo as an influence) has featured Mexican standoff scenes in films including Inglourious Basterds (the tavern scene features multiple Mexican standoffs including meta-discussion) and both Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, which depicts a standoff among four characters in the climactic scene.[9]
See also
References
- ^ Buytendijk, Frank (2010). Dealing with Dilemmas: Where Business Analytics Fall Short. Wiley. p. 20. ISBN 978-0-470-76848-8.
- ^ V&S Editorial Board (2015). Concise Dictionary of English Combined (idioms, Phrases, Proverbs, Similes). V&S Publishers. p. 94. ISBN 9789352150502.
- ^ a b "Mexican standoff", The Word Detective, retrieved 2013-03-21
- ^ "Mexican, n. and adj.". OED Online. March 2018. Oxford University Press.
- ^ Helgesen, Stephan (January 16, 2019). "Our nation is stuck in a standoff". Albuquerque Journal. p. A15.
- ^ Jew, Anson (2013). Professional Storyboarding: Rules of Thumb. Taylor & Francis. p. 83. ISBN 978-1-136-12677-2.
- ^ Buckmaster, Luke. "The lasting legacy of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly", BBC.com, Wednesday 10 February 2016. Retrieved October 26,2018
- ^ Pierce, Nev (24 September 2014). "Calling The Shots: John Woo". BBC.
- ^ Bailey, Jason (2013). Pulp Fiction: The Complete Story of Quentin Tarantino's Masterpiece. Voyageur Press. p. 45. ISBN 978-0-7603-4479-8.
External links
The dictionary definition of Mexican standoff at Wiktionary
