in a pinch

Idioms  

1. In an emergency, when hard-pressed, as in This music isn't what I would have chosen, but it will do in a pinch. This term dates from the late 1400s, when it was put as at a pinch (a usage still current in Britain); pinch alludes to straitened circumstances.

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Example Sentences

Potential beneficiaries of this crunch could be coal companies in South Africa, Australia, and Indonesia that Asian economies may turn to in a pinch.

From Barron's • Mar. 9, 2026

Rice is a given—I nearly always have extra bags on hand—and in a pinch I could grill the chicken, sauté the beef, add some vegetables, and eat variations on miso-butter rice all week long.

From Salon • Jan. 11, 2026

Those are tactics “neither employers nor employees like but companies resort to in a pinch to hold down premium increases,” he noted.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 22, 2025

The new kickoff rule is giving teams better field position, shortening the field for offenses that need to score in a pinch.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 20, 2025

Not the best weapon for self-defense, but it would serve in a pinch.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros