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.).^[1][2] These were expensive, top-notch watches, hence generalized (1892^[3]) 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”).^[4]

Circa 2000, later sense of “interminable speech” a folk etymology, in sense “a speech that lasts so long one must wind one’s watch”.^[1][2]

stem-winder (plural stem-winders)

1. A watch that is wound up by turning a small knob on a stem which holds a gear winding the mainspring.
2. (US) A rousing speech, especially by a politician.
3. (US) Someone who gives such speeches; a great orator.
4. (US, proscribed) A boring, interminable speech.
   • 2000, Bill Schneider and Keating Holland, “What to look for Thursday at the Democratic National Convention”, August 17, 2000, CNN, “Clinton comparisons”:^[2]

     Or – heaven forbid – the Bill Clinton of 1988, who gave a tedious stemwinder in 1988 that has gone down in the books as the worst nominating speech in recent memory?

5. (US, obsolete) Something top-notch or first-rate.

Note contradictory senses of “rousing speech” (earlier sense) and “boring speech” (later sense); use in the latter sense may be proscribed as a corruption, and is a folk etymology.

(rousing speech):

• rabblerousing
• tubthumping

• Midwestern, midwestern, windmeters