stonewalling

Updated: May 5, 2025

'This is a matter of life and death, I said, 'don't you understand? It drooped its eyes half shut and said, 'Then why don't you go the other two hundred pounds? I'd rather live in a world of solid wasps than give in to the stonewalling stupidity of that offensive creature. He paused, feeling that a sentence like that might very easily be spoiled by its context.

H. G. (Herbert George) Wells - The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth

This art of "stonewalling" was practised in the House for a number of years until at last the rules were so altered as to make it impossible. It was remarkable how quickly a member found his level in the House. If he started with the idea that he would "boss" the House he would quickly find that the House "bossed" him. I only heard Bright make one speech in the House.

David Christie Murray - Recollections: With Photogravure Portrait of the Author and a number of: Original Letters, of which one by George Meredith and: another by Robert Louis Stevenson are reproduced in: facsimile