Mexican standoff
Americannoun
Informal: Sometimes Offensive.
Sensitive Note
This expression is sometimes perceived as insulting to or by Mexicans. Its origin in the late 19th century may be connected to American perceptions of encounters with Mexican bandits of that era.
Etymology
Origin of Mexican standoff
First recorded in 1890–95
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
