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

“Where are people going to go in a pinch when there’s no brick-and-mortar that’s consistently open?” she asks.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

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

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

“And for fashioning such cozy beds on short notice. That was very resourceful of you. Agatha Swanburne would be proud. ‘Whatever will do in a pinch, will do,’ as she liked to say.”

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood