What does 'sheer bloody mindedness' mean?

[halfwitpicker]

Just that really

An intention to do the opposite of what is sensible despite alll evidence to the contrary.
Why?

Sheer determined digging-your-toes-in awkwardness for the sake of it.

Why do you ask?

To me it means deliberately uncooperative behaviour, basically. When it wouldn't hurt you at all to do something, and would help the other person a lot, but you just refuse.

Hmm I see it as someone who is stubborn and gets what they want. Not always a negative.

''If you say that someone is being bloody-minded, you are showing that you disapprove of their behaviour because you think they are being deliberately difficult instead of being helpful.''

Interesting interpretation this one because it says more about the sayer than the supposed bloody minded person.

Determination to carry on doing something regardless of sensible advice to the contrary

Yes obstinate for the sake of it.

I find children can provide excellent examples of this behaviour (not all children obviously).

Yes, usually involves someone very stubborn and determined who will not give up on their plan despite multiple obstacles and objections

It can occasionally be a compliment but more often an insult!

Perseverance even at the expense of common sense or against convention or advice.

My mother would probably say i'm bloody minded because i wont do exactly as she did/does and takes it as a critisism of her.

Contrarily and cantankerously going ahead with something, regardless of how much well meaning advice they've received.

They may not necessarily be wrong in what they're trying to achieve, but they're going to go about it their way, no one else's and are quite possibly making themselves unpopular as they carry on.

I'm asking because I saw it on another thread and just wondered. Never heard it before

It's like pigheadedness.

Odd that you've never heard it before, @halfwitpicker . I'm an old git and, like so many things, didn't realise it had fallen out of common useage.

I've always heard it used in a fairly complimentary way. Eg 'she had just started her degree when she fell ill and her mother died, leaving her to care for her younger siblings. But through sheer bloody mindedness she managed to get through the next three years'

I know, bellini!

Only ever heard it on here. Sheltered life really.

Yeah it can be used positively.

treaclesoda maybe that might have been 'sheer dogged persistence' rather than bloody-mindedness?

No, definitely sheer bloody mindedness.

Doing something against all logic and reason. But often in a good way.

Obstinacy.

Do people not google any more?

No, spugz

MN is my Google. More fun.

Yes, true, it can be used as a compliment, of someone who has achieved something against the odds.

Playing devils advocate can be sheer bloody mindedness. So can arguing that black is white or being determined to do something when it's a daft idea or when the odds are massively stacked against you.