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The meaning of the phrase as a whole is (for me at least) "in a
situation in which normal resources/remedies are unavailable". I don't
see a very good connection to that from the gold-dust story. <br>
<br>
I had always assumed that the pinch was similar to the straits one
would find oneself in between the proverbial rock and a hard place:
when the pressure is on you will seek other ways of doing things. (Cf.
in (dire) straits, under pressure, when push comes to shove, feel the
pinch, and similar phrases.) In any case, given the existence of that
standard "structural metaphor" (DIFFICULTIES ARE PRESSURE ON THE BODY,
if we want to use all caps Lakoff & Johnson style), the use of the
word "pinch" with the meaning needed for this phrase doesn't need the
story to explain it.<br>
<br>
There is also a long-standing linkage between "pinch" and a notion of
deprivation: "he knows not poverty—her pinch", pinched cheeks, and
such-like phrases. So a notion of "in a pinch" as "in need" is also
natural. The two are of course not contradictory (deprivation is
usually construed as a kind of difficulty), and both contribute, at
least in my mind synchronically, to the meaning. It would seem likely
that they did so historically as well.<br>
<br>
--David Tuggy<br>
<br>
David K. Barnhart wrote:
<blockquote cite="midedp86r+ad50@eGroups.com" type="cite">
<pre wrap="">I just looked in OED.
The original form appears to be _at_ (or _on_) _a pinch_ [n. def. 4].
The supplement has "Also _in a pinch_." The e.q. (earliest date) for
_in a pinch_ appears to be 1903. However, I'll do some search about
and post antedatings.
Regards,
David K. Barnhart, Editor/Publisher
The Barnhart DICTIONARY COMPANION
--- In <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:lexicographylist@yahoogroups.com">lexicographylist@yahoogroups.com</a>, "bolstar1" <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:bolstar1@..."><bolstar1@...></a> wrote:
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">Does anyone have a phrasal etymology book that can find the origin
of 'in a pinch'? (Mine don't help me.)I heard that bartenders during
the gold rush in Cali. would ask for a small pinch of gold dust from a
prospector's bag of gold dust if they didn't have cash handy. That
is, 'in a pinch,' a prospector would give up a little gold for a little
golden brew. (Please don't refer me to 'pinch' per se. The word goes
back a loooong way.)
Scott N.
</pre>
</blockquote>
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