Stem-winder Definition
(US) Someone who gives such speeches, a great orator.
Other Word Forms of Stem-winder
Noun
Origin of Stem-winder
US, mid-late 19th century, originally referring to then-recent stem-wind watches (invented in 1840s, commercialized initially 1850s by Patek Philippe & Co.). These were expensive, top-notch watches, hence generalized (1892) to “top-notch", particularly applied to speeches, or to the orator in question. Non-speech senses later fell out of use. Nuance of “rousing" speech possibly by analogy with watch being wound up (“tighten by winding, excite, rouse").
From Wiktionary
Circa 2000, later sense of “interminable speech" a folk etymology, in sense “a speech that lasts so long one must wind one's watch".
From Wiktionary
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