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

From what you say, you could, in theory, use your 50% share and a portion of your $500,000 liquid savings, if you were in a pinch, so try to put those bad dreams to bed.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 12, 2026

On evenings when one kid was studying for a big test, Amy or I would sit and read in the child’s room, making it easier to ask an uncomfortable question in a pinch.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025

Catalina, one of the Channel Islands, is about an hour’s ferry ride from Long Beach; it’s challenging for crews to get there in a pinch, Barton said.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 8, 2025

Laertes armed as well, and so did Dolios— greybeards, they could be fighters in a pinch.

From "The Odyssey" by Homer