The Mexican Standoff is Australian

They say you learn something new every day. I'm not sure who they are, and frankly, I think they're underestimating me a bit, but I've decided to set out to prove it and keep a record of the interesting little tidbits of information I learn each day. Each post won't be long, but just a short little explanation of some piece of trivia I've stumbled across that I found interesting enough to record.

First of all, today I learnt that the phrase 'Mexican standoff' has its origins in Australian slang. A Mexican standoff is, for those of you late to the Mexican standoff party, more or less an impasse; two (or more, if you're in to group standoffs) parties are threatening each other without wanting to resort to doing what they're threatening, as then the other party might also do what they're threatening, and that would be bad.

For example, let us consider the hypothetical situation of a hypothetical man named Gonzales. Gonzales has a moustache the size of a small European nation and enjoys long walks in the desert with his sombrero and twin pistols, as well as snacking on burritos and tacos. What Gonzales hates, however, is ethnic stereotyping, which is what his arch enemy Julio is all about. "Yo, Gonzales," Julio says each morning as Gonzales strums his guitar whilst leaning on a cactus, "I am all about ethnic stereotyping." Well, thinks Gonzales, that is just not on. Eventually, after many mornings of such taunting, Gonzales finally snaps and reaches for a pistol. Julio does the same. The two men are staring at each other intently, each with a hand on his pistol, and neither one willing to move an inch in case it prompts the other to shoot him dead.

This is an example of a Mexican standoff, even though Gonzales is Norwegian and Julio is Sudanese.

I think I find this interesting because 'Mexican standoff' doesn't really blend in with other Ocker phrases such as 'Ocker', 'crikey', 'g'day' or 'fuggya'. It just doesn't sound particularly Skippy. I'd always assumed that it was North American, since that's where most contemporary English phrases seem to originate, and it's referencing Mexicans. Americans love referencing Mexicans! If popular media is to be believed, it's their number one past time over in the States.

But no; the Cambridge Online Dictionary describes it as belonging to "[a] type of English used primarily in Australia and New Zealand". Struth! Okay so maybe that doesn't mean it's actually Australian; it could be New Zealish. I assume that since England produces English and Finland produces Finnish that New Zealand produces New Zealish; I think I've only ever heard the phrase 'New Zealander' but that doesn't seem to do justice for this context.

If the phrase is New Zealish, and not Australian, then I can't help but feel that perhaps the New Zealanders should spend more time developing useful self-descriptive words than cinematic tropes.

Other interesting things I learnt today:

• The average mosquito has forty seven teeth
• Somali isn't a safe tourist destination
• Chickens can swim... but not very well