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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.
EXPANDHorticulture. 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.
COLLAPSEHorse 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. (of a vein of ore or the like)
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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Pinches
is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
noun
Idioms21.
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.
25.
EXPANDa situation or time of special stress, especially an emergency: A friend is someone who will stand by you in a pinch.
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 (compare pique1)
1250–1300; Middle English pinchen < Anglo-French *pinchier (equivalent to Old French pincier, Spanish pinchar) < Vulgar Latin *pīnctiāre, variant of *pūnctiāre to prick (compare pique1)
Related forms
pinch·a·ble, adjective
un·pinched, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To pinches
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
EXPANDfrom 1912) is from 1489; older than the literal sense of "act of pinching" (1591).
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary
pinch definition
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Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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