Main Entry: ¹pinch

Pronunciation: \ˈpinch\

Function: verb

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French *pincher, pincer

Date: 14th century

transitive verb 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) usually to induce branching c : to squeeze or compress painfully d : to cause physical or mental pain to e (1) : to cause to appear thin, haggard, or shrunken (2) : to cause to shrivel or wither
2 a : to subject to strict economy or want : straiten b : to restrain or limit narrowly : constrict
3 a : steal b : arrest
4 : to sail too close to the windintransitive verb 1 : compress, squeeze
2 : to be miserly or closefisted
3 : to press painfully
4 : narrow, taper <the road pinched down to a trail — Cecelia Holland>

— pinch pennies : to practice strict economy