pinch

[pinch]
verb (used with object)
1.
to squeeze or compress between the finger and thumb, the teeth, the jaws of an instrument, or the like.
2.
to constrict or squeeze painfully, as a tight shoe does.
3.
to cramp within narrow bounds or quarters: The crowd pinched him into a corner.
4.
to render (the face, body, etc.) unnaturally constricted or drawn, as pain or distress does: Years of hardship had pinched her countenance beyond recognition.
5.
Horticulture. to remove or shorten (buds or shoots) in order to produce a certain shape of the plant, improve the quality of the bloom or fruit, or increase the development of buds (often followed by out, off, or back ).
6.
to affect with sharp discomfort or distress, as cold, hunger, or need does.
7.
to straiten in means or circumstances: The depression pinched them.
8.
to stint (a person, family, etc.) in allowance of money, food, or the like: They were severely pinched by the drought.
9.
to hamper or inconvenience by the lack of something specified: The builders were pinched by the shortage of good lumber.
10.
to stint the supply or amount of (a thing).
11.
to put a pinch or small quantity of (a powder, spice, etc.) into something.
12.
Slang.
a.
to steal.
b.
to arrest.
13.
to roll or slide (a heavy object) with leverage from a pinch bar.
14.
Nautical. to sail (a ship) so close to the wind that the sails shake slightly and the speed is reduced.
15.
Horse Racing, British. to press (a horse) to the point of exhaustion.
verb (used without object)
16.
to exert a sharp or painful constricting force: This shoe pinches.
17.
to cause sharp discomfort or distress: Their stomachs were pinched with hunger.
18.
to economize unduly; stint oneself: They pinched and scraped for years to save money for a car.
19.
Mining.
a.
to diminish.
b.
to diminish to nothing (sometimes followed by out ).
20.
Nautical. to trim a sail too flat when sailing to windward.
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to bark; yelp.
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noun
21.
the act of pinching; nip; squeeze.
22.
as much of anything as can be taken up between the finger and thumb: a pinch of salt.
23.
a very small quantity of anything: a pinch of pungent wit.
24.
sharp or painful stress, as of hunger, need, or any trying circumstances: the pinch of conscience; to feel the pinch of poverty.
25.
a situation or time of special stress, especially an emergency: A friend is someone who will stand by you in a pinch.
26.
pinch bar.
27.
Slang. a raid or an arrest.
28.
Slang. a theft.
Idioms
29.
pinch pennies, to stint on or be frugal or economical with expenditures; economize: I'll have to pinch pennies if I'm going to get through school.
30.
with a pinch of salt. grain ( def 27 ).
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English pinchen < Anglo-French *pinchier (equivalent to Old French pincier, Spanish pinchar) < Vulgar Latin *pīnctiāre, variant of *pūnctiāre to prick (cf. pique1)

Related forms
pinch·a·ble, adjective
un·pinched, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To Pinch
Collins
World English Dictionary
pinch (pɪntʃ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—vb (sometimes foll by out) (usually foll by off, out, or back)
1.  See nip to press (something, esp flesh) tightly between two surfaces, esp between a finger and the thumb
2.  to confine, squeeze, or painfully press (toes, fingers, etc) because of lack of space: these shoes pinch
3.  (tr) to cause stinging pain to: the cold pinched his face
4.  (tr) to make thin or drawn-looking, as from grief, lack of food, etc
5.  (usually foll by on) to provide (oneself or another person) with meagre allowances, amounts, etc
6.  pinch pennies to live frugally because of meanness or to economize
7.  (tr) nautical to sail (a sailing vessel) so close to the wind that her sails begin to luff and she loses way
8.  (of a vein of ore) to narrow or peter out
9.  to remove the tips of (buds, shoots, etc) to correct or encourage growth
10.  informal (tr) to steal or take without asking
11.  informal (tr) to arrest
 
—n
12.  a squeeze or sustained nip
13.  the quantity of a substance, such as salt, that can be taken between a thumb and finger
14.  a very small quantity
15.  a critical situation; predicament; emergency: if it comes to the pinch we'll have to manage
16.  the pinch sharp, painful, or extreme stress, need, etc: feeling the pinch of poverty
17.  See pinch bar
18.  slang a robbery
19.  slang a police raid or arrest
20.  at a pinch if absolutely necessary
21.  with a pinch of salt, with a grain of salt without wholly believing; sceptically
 
[C16: probably from Old Norman French pinchier (unattested); related to Old French pincier to pinch; compare Late Latin punctiāre to prick]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

pinch
c.1230, from O.N.Fr. *pinchier, var. of O.Fr. pincier, possibly from V.L. *punctiare "to pierce" (from L. punctum "point"), and *piccare "to pierce." Meaning "to steal" is from 1656. Sense of "to be stingy" is recorded from early 14c. Noun meaning "critical juncture" (as in baseball pinch hitter, attested
from 1912) is from 1489; older than the literal sense of "act of pinching" (1591).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

pinch definition


  1. n.
    a small amount of a powdered substance, such as salt, snuff, a spice, etc. (Not slang.) : He put a pinch under his lips and walked up to home plate.
  2. tv.
    to arrest someone. : The police captain pinched her for passing bad checks.
  3. n.
    the arrest of someone. : They made the pinch in front of her house.
  4. tv.
    to steal something. (See also cop.) : The kid pinched a candy bar right off the counter.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

pinch

In addition to the idioms beginning with pinch, also see feel the pinch; in a pinch; with a grain (pinch) of salt.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Stir together flour, brown sugar, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl.
Once the animals awoke, a small pinch in the right place was enough to prompt
  them to jettison their tails and scuttle for cover.
He is a churl with a soft place in his heart, whose speech is a brash of bitter
  waters, but who loves to help you at a pinch.
Add cream mixture with sugar and a pinch of salt and heat over medium heat,
  stirring, until sugar has dissolved.
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