pinch
/pintʃ/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- A small, tight squeeze with the fingers: The act of gripping something, especially skin, between the thumb and a finger.
- A very small amount: A tiny quantity of something, such as a spice, that can be held between the thumb and finger.
- A difficult or painful situation: A moment of hardship, stress, or need.
- The act of stealing something (slang): Theft.
- The act of arresting someone (slang): An arrest by the police.
Verb:
- To squeeze tightly between the thumb and a finger: To grip something, often causing slight pain.
- To cause pain by being too tight: To hurt or constrict a part of the body by being too small or tight.
- To steal something (slang): To take something without permission.
- To arrest someone (slang): For the police to take someone into custody.
- To be very careful with money: To be extremely frugal or stingy.
Usage Examples
Noun:
- She gave his arm a playful pinch. (She squeezed his arm with her fingers.)
- Add a pinch of salt to the soup. (Add a very small amount of salt.)
- Many families felt the pinch during the economic crisis. (Many families experienced hardship.)
- The thief was caught in the pinch. (The thief was caught in the act of stealing/arrest.)
Verb:
- He pinched his sister to get her attention. (He squeezed her skin with his fingers.)
- These new shoes pinch my toes. (These shoes are too tight and hurt my toes.)
- Someone pinched my wallet on the bus! (Someone stole my wallet.)
- The officer pinched the suspect for vandalism. (The officer arrested the suspect.)
Advanced Usage
- "Feel the pinch": To experience hardship or financial difficulty.
- After losing his job, he really started to feel the pinch.
- "At a pinch" / "In a pinch": If absolutely necessary; in an emergency or difficult situation.
- We don't have the right tool, but this knife will do at a pinch.
- "Pinch pennies": To be extremely careful with money; to be frugal.
- They had to pinch pennies to save for their trip.
Variants and Related Words
- Pinched (adj): Appearing thin or tense, often due to cold, hunger, or stress.
- His face looked pinched and pale from the cold.
- Pincher (n): A person who pinches or is stingy (often used in compounds like "penny-pincher").
- Pinch-hit (v): In baseball, to bat in place of another player; more generally, to act as a substitute in an emergency.
- Can you pinch-hit for me at the meeting tomorrow?
Synonyms
- Noun (squeeze): Nip, tweak.
- Noun (small amount): Dash, smidgen, soupçon.
- Verb (squeeze): Squeeze, nip, tweak.
- Verb (steal): Swipe, filch, pilfer (all informal).
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Pinch off: To remove something by pinching.
- He pinched off the dead leaves from the plant.
- Pinch out: Similar to "pinch off," often used in gardening to remove new growth to encourage bushier plants.
- Remember to pinch out the tips of the seedlings.
Related Idioms
- "Where the shoe pinches": The source of the real problem or difficulty.
- The low salary is where the shoe pinches for most employees.
- "Take something with a pinch of salt": To be skeptical about the truth or accuracy of something.
- You should take his stories with a pinch of salt; he loves to exaggerate.
Noun
- the act of apprehending (especially apprehending a criminal)
- the policeman on the beat got credit for the collar
- a squeeze with the fingers
- a small sharp bite or snip
- a sudden unforeseen crisis (usually involving danger) that requires immediate action
- he never knew what to do in an emergency
- a slight but appreciable amount
- this dish could use a touch of garlic
- an injury resulting from getting some body part squeezed
- a painful or straitened circumstance
- the pinch of the recession
Verb
- irritate as if by a nip, pinch, or tear
- smooth surfaces can vellicate the teeth
- the pain is as if sharp points pinch your back
- cut the top off
- top trees and bushes
- make off with belongings of others
- make ridges into by pinching together
- squeeze tightly between the fingers
- He pinched her behind
- She squeezed the bottle