Stalemate As A Metaphor
Stalemate has become a widely used metaphor for other situations where there is a conflict or contest between two parties, such as war or political negotiations, and neither side is able to achieve victory, resulting in what is also called an impasse or deadlock or Mexican standoff. Chess writers note that this usage is a misnomer since, unlike in chess, the situation is often a temporary one that is ultimately resolved, even if it seems currently intractable (Golombek 1977:304) (Soltis 1978:54).
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Famous quotes containing the words stalemate and/or metaphor:
“Courage is in the air in bracing whiffs
Better than all the stalemate an’s and ifs.”
—Robert Frost (1874–1963)
“The verbal poetical texture of Shakespeare is the greatest the world has known, and is immensely superior to the structure of his plays as plays. With Shakespeare it is the metaphor that is the thing, not the play.”
—Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977)