Meaning of stem-winder | Babel Free

Definitions

1. A watch that is wound up by turning a small knob on a stem which holds a gear winding the mainspring.
2. A rousing speech, especially by a politician.
   US
3. Someone who gives such speeches; a great orator.
   US
4. A boring, interminable speech.
   US, proscribed
5. Something top-notch or first-rate.
   US, obsolete

Examples

“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?”

CEFR level