Definition of stem-winder in US English:
stem-winder
(also stemwinder)
nounˈstemˌwīndərˈstɛmˌwaɪndər
US 1informal An entertaining and rousing speech.
the speech was a classic stem-winder in the best southern tradition
Example sentencesExamples
- His was no Gettysburg Address, to be sure, but compared to some of the stem-winders of history, Mr. Clinton's speech, delivered at a rapid pace, flew by.
- Some news, like Democrat Barack Obama's dazzling stem-winder last July, took place when the networks were airing sitcom repeats or reality shows.
- Giuliani used some of the most overt forms in order to present a classic political stem-winder.
- How about Rush Limbaugh hanging out while John Kerry delivers his stem-winder?
- To say it wasn't a stem-winder is simply to say that it wasn't like Barack Obama's speech a few nights back, or Clinton's, or even Clark's or Sharpton's for that matter.
2dated A watch wound by turning a knob on the end of a stem.
Origin
Stem-winder (sense 1) from the notion of ‘winding up’ or causing a lively reaction from those listening.