pincushion

American  

[pin-koosh-uhn] / ˈpɪnˌkʊʃ ən /

noun

1. a small cushion into which pins are stuck until needed.

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pincushion British  

/ ˈpɪnˌkʊʃən /

noun

1. a small well-padded cushion in which pins are stuck ready for use

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Etymology

Origin of pincushion

First recorded in 1625–35; pin + cushion

Example Sentences

According to Dearborn, the patient earned a living on the vaudeville circuit as Edward H. Gibson, the Human Pincushion, inviting audience members to come up onstage and push pins into him.

From The New Yorker • Jun. 25, 2018

Wrigley runs Little Pincushion Studio, where she teaches kids how to sew and writes about crafting projects for her book series, “We Love to Sew.”

From Washington Post • Jul. 21, 2015

Fertility Diary: Pincushion My stomach looks as if it were used for target practice.

From New York Times • Sep. 10, 2013

The album kicks off with the high-voltage Pincushion and never lets up.

From Time Magazine Archive

"You see Doctor H., who visits the child every day," cries poor Pincushion; "you are not afraid when he comes."

From The Newcomes Memoirs of a Most Respectable Family by Thackeray, William Makepeace