Stonewall
/ˈstoʊnˌwɔːl/noun
A wall made of stone; also, to refuse to answer or cooperate in a deliberate way.
Did you know?The verbal sense of stonewall arose in 19th-century American political slang, where it described blocking or delaying action so completely that the other side could get nowhere.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
stānweall
“a wall made of stone”
Middle English
ME
stone wall
“a wall built of stone”
19th Century
English
stonewall
“to obstruct or delay by refusing to answer or cooperate”
Modern English
English
stonewall
“to block, resist, or refuse to cooperate”