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This is a term I read recently, but I didn't understand what it meant. I can't remember the exact context except that it had nothing whatever to do with Mexico.

Edit: ElendilTheTall suggests this might be "Mexican Standoff". Which it could be, I suppose. So could anyone explain what either of these things are?

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Do you mean 'Mexican Standoff'? – user3444 Jan 19 '11 at 12:46
@ElendilTheTall, perhaps I do. Answer if you like; I'll edit the question. – Brian Hooper Jan 19 '11 at 13:18

2 Answers

up vote 3 down vote accepted

Did you try Google? I searched for "define Mexican Standoff" and the first result, as well as many that followed, said "a situation in which no one can emerge as a clear winner".

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Mexican_standoff has more in-depth etymology of the expression.

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Hey Anderson, you also make many easily googable questions yourself, don't you? Nothing against these questions, I'm just wondering if you were complaining. – Ivo Rossi Jan 19 '11 at 13:56
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I wasn't complaining, actually. I was citing the source for my answer. I had a series of question regarding the etymology of many sexual phrases and expressions, which resulted in yours truly put in the penalty box for 3 days. Still unsure if the content itself or because it was easily google-able were the prime motivations. – Anderson Silva Jan 19 '11 at 13:57
I didn't try googling "Mexican Standoff"; the phrase I heard was "Mexican Ultimatum". For the time being, we are assuming the meaning is the same. Thank you for your answer. – Brian Hooper Jan 19 '11 at 20:13
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"In Mexico, we just call this a standoff." – MT_Head May 17 '11 at 8:09
up vote 6 down vote

Well, as far as I know there is no such thing as a 'Mexican ultimatum'.

A Mexican standoff is a fraught situation of 'stalemate'. The classic image is of a ring of gunfighters, all with pistols drawn, with none of them wanting to start shooting. See Anderson Silva's link for more in-depth info.

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