PINCH

I. verb Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French *~er, pincer Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. to squeeze between the finger and thumb or between the jaws of an instrument, to prune the tip of (a plant or shoot) usually to induce branching, to squeeze or compress painfully, to cause physical or mental pain to, e. to cause to appear thin, haggard, or shrunken, to cause to shrivel or wither, 2. to subject to strict economy or want ; straiten , to restrain or limit narrowly ; constrict , 3. steal , arrest , to sail too close to the wind, intransitive verb compress , squeeze , to be miserly or closefisted, to press painfully, narrow , taper , II. noun Date: 15th century 1. a critical juncture ; emergency , b. pressure , stress , hardship , privation , deficit , 2. an act of ~ing ; squeeze , as much as may be taken between the finger and thumb , a very small amount, a marked thinning of a vein or bed, 4. theft , a police raid, see: juncture III. adjective Date: 1912 substitute , hit by a ~ hitter