stonewall
pronunciation
How to pronounce stonewall in British English:
UK [ˌstəʊnˈwɔ:l]
How to pronounce stonewall in American English:
US [ˈstoʊnˈwɔl]
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- Verb:
- obstruct or hinder any discussion
- engage in delaying tactics or refuse to cooperate
Word Origin
- stonewall (n.)
- also stone wall, Old English stanwalle; see stone (n.) + wall (n.). As nickname of Confederate General Thomas J. Jackson (1824-1863), bestowed 1861 on the occasion of the First Battle of Bull Run, supposedly by Gen. Bernard Bee, urging his brigade to rally around Jackson, who was "standing like a stone wall." Bee was killed in the battle; the account of the nickname appeared in Southern newspapers within four days of the battle. On the face of it this account has no character of authenticity, and the words ascribed to Bee smack less of the battlefield than of the editorial sanctum. ... It seems inherently probable that something was said by somebody, during or immediately after the battle, that likened Jackson or his men or both to a stone wall. [R.M. Johnston, "Bull Run: Its Strategy and Tactics," Boston, 1913]
- stonewall (v.)
- "to obstruct," 1889 in sports; 1914 in politics, from metaphoric use of stone wall (n.) for "act of obstruction" (1876). Related: Stonewalled; stonewalling (defined in Century Dictionary as "parliamentary obstruction by talking against time, raising technical objections, etc.," and identified as originally Australian).
Example
- 1. Stonewall 's legacy lives on today .
- 2. Pressure groups such as hrc and britain 's stonewall can take some of the credit .
- 3. See a photographic history of gay rights , from stonewall to prop 8 .
- 4. These influences , along with the liberal environment of greenwich village , served as catalysts for the stonewall riots .
- 5. She also admires the men who are actually like women : transsexuals and flamboyant drag queens , the heroes of the 1969 stonewall rebellion , which started the gay liberation movement .