[pinch] vb [ME, fr. (assumed) ONF pinchier, fr. (assumed) VL pinctiare] vt (14c) 1 a: to squeeze between the finger and thumb or between the jaws of an instrument b: to prune the tip of (a plant or shoot) usu. to induce branching c: to squeeze or compress painfully d: to cause physical or mental pain to e (1): to cause to appear thin or shrunken (2): to cause to shrivel or wither
2. a: to subject to strict economy or want: straiten b: to confine or limit narrowly: constrict 3 a: steal b: arrest
4: to sail too close to the wind ~ vi 1: compress, squeeze
2: to be miserly or closefisted
3: to press painfully
4: narrow, taper "the road ~ed down to a trail --Cecelia Holland" -- pinch pennies : to practice strict economy
[2]pinch n (15c) 1 a: a critical juncture: emergency b (1): pressure, stress (2): hardship, privation c: deficit
2. a: an act of pinching: squeeze b: as much as may be taken between the finger and thumb "a ~ of snuff" c: a very small amount
3: a marked thinning of a vein or bed
4. a: theft b: a police raid; also: arrest syn see juncture [3]pinch adj (1916) 1: substitute "~ runner"
2: hit by a pinch hitter "~ homer"