Originally Posted by
thumpism
Thank you for bringing this up. I don't know when show stopper started being used to connote a problem but it has taken over the software industry (well, where I worked anyway) and drives me crazy when used this way.
I am 64 and am pretty sure I remember the term being used like the second definition below since I was a kid, so that usage of the term has probably been around 50 years or more.
show·stop·per
ˈSHōˌstäpər/
nouninformal
noun: show-stopper
1. a performance or item receiving prolonged applause from the audience.
"he wants every scene to be a showstopper"
2. an obstacle to further progress.
"the subsidy limits proved to be a showstopper for other senior Democrats who refused to pass the bill with such restrictions"