pinch
[pɪntʃ] verb
PRESS 压
intransitive or transitive
■to squeeze something, especially someone's skin, strongly between two hard things such as a finger and a thumb, usually causing pain 捏，拧，掐，夹•Ouch! Stop pinching (me)!哎哟，别掐我！ •These shoes are too tight, they pinch (my feet).这双鞋太紧了，夹我的脚。 pinch yourself informal
■You say that you have to pinch yourself if you cannot really believe something that has happened because it is so good or so strange 掐自己一下（表示某事太好或太奇怪，简直令人难以置信）•I can't believe that he's back from Canada and he's mine - I keep having to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming.我不敢相信他从加拿大回来了，他是我的——我不停地掐自己以确定我不是在做梦。
[pɪntʃ] verb
STEAL 偷窃
transitive informal
■to steal something 偷窃•Right, who's pinched my chair?好嘛，谁把我的椅子偷走了？
[pɪntʃ] verb
pinch pennies (UK also pinch and scrape) old-fashioned
■to spend as little money as possible 精打细算；省吃俭用•When we were first married we had to pinch pennies just to get by.我们刚结婚时不得不精打细算以勉强维持生计。
[pɪntʃ] noun
AMOUNT 数量
countable
■a small amount of something, such as a powder, especially the amount which a person can hold between their first finger and thumb （一）撮；少量•While the tomatoes are cooking add a pinch of salt/sugar/dried thyme.煮番茄时加一小撮盐／糖／干百里香。 •figurative Opinion polls on subjects like this should be taken with a pinch of scepticism.对这种议题的民意调查应持半信半疑的态度。
[pɪntʃ] noun
PRESS 压
countable usually singular
■when you pinch something or someone 捏，拧，掐，夹•She gave Emma a painful pinch on the arm.她在艾玛的手臂上狠狠地掐了一下。
[pɪntʃ] noun
at a pinch (US in a pinch) UK
■Something that you can do at a pinch can be done if it is really necessary, but it will be difficult, not perfect, or not what you would really like 必要时；在紧要关头•I need £2000 to set up the business, but I suppose £1500 would do at a pinch.我需要2000英镑来创办这间公司，不过实在凑不够的话，1500英镑也可以。 |