pinch around

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "pinch around" is not a standard expression in written English and may cause confusion.
It could be used in a context where someone is describing a physical action of pinching something in various places, but it is not commonly recognized. Example: "She decided to pinch around the edges of the dough to create a decorative crust."

Wiki

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

3 human-written examples

Solar heating also proved to be a valuable source to be integrated into an HRL with a pinch around the cold storage tank with the maximum addition of 0.9 MW of heating on average for the CTS approach and 1.0 MW of heating on average for the VTS approach.

Energy

Try them on and make sure they don't pinch around your head.

WikiHow

Hold out for ones that don't pinch around your waistband and that have the right length (or are easily hemmed to have the right length).. There's nothing more noticeable than the state of your hair.

WikiHow

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

"That's my favorite of the night," somebody would say, chopsticks pinched around a fried sandwich of shrimp and pork paste between shiso leaves.

The New York Times - Food

It did not ask whether Mrs Parker Bowles should become queen.In this section Rolling up the welcome mat Unhappy returns The prince's great matter The shoe pinches Around the world in 71 days Crawling traffic Who knows best?

The Economist

Fines will be levied on bosses who employ illicit workers.In this section Rolling up the welcome mat Unhappy returns The prince's great matter The shoe pinches Around the world in 71 days Crawling traffic Who knows best?

The Economist

Age has made his features both more pinched around the eyes and fleshier around the edges; his thick shock of greying hair was neatly brushed – another habit he acquired while running for president.

The Guardian

Tony Blair announced she would become a dame (the female equivalent of knight) before she had even arrived.In this section Rolling up the welcome mat Unhappy returns The prince's great matter The shoe pinches Around the world in 71 days Crawling traffic Who knows best?

The Economist

The IT, telecoms and electronics sectors have done spectacularly badly since early 2000, point out economists at the London Business School LBSS) in their yearly analysis of long-run global investment returns for ABN Amro, a bank.In this section Rolling up the welcome mat Unhappy returns The prince's great matter The shoe pinches Around the world in 71 days Crawling traffic Who knows best?

The Economist

The point was to persuade locals that their home town was, like the more celebrated European cities, a cultural, economic and educational hotspot.In this section Rolling up the welcome mat Unhappy returns The prince's great matter The shoe pinches Around the world in 71 days Crawling traffic Who knows best?

The Economist

"My espresso has that crisp acidity you get from Granny Smith apple flesh that pinches around the inside of your mouth, but it's also got a vanilla sweetness, maple tones and rich, dark chocolate flavour notes which I wanted to extenuate in my signature drink," he said.

BBC

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Be mindful of the context and avoid using "pinch around" in formal settings where a more precise or standard term would be more appropriate.

Common error

Avoid using "pinch around" as a vague substitute for more specific actions. Instead of saying "pinch around the edges", specify whether you are "crimping", "folding", or "sealing" the edges.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "pinch around" functions primarily as a phrasal verb, where "pinch" is the verb and "around" is the particle. This combination modifies the meaning of "pinch", suggesting an action performed enclosing or near something.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Wiki

33%

Science

33%

News & Media

33%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "pinch around" is not a standard English idiom, but it can be grammatically correct and useful in specific contexts, particularly when describing a physical action that involves pressing or manipulating something. As Ludwig AI points out, it's important to consider that this phrase has an 'Acceptable' grammatical status but it is 'Rare'. Be mindful of your audience and choose a more precise alternative such as "squeeze around", "press around" or "nip around" if a more formal or clearer expression is needed. Use "pinch around" carefully, being aware of its potential for ambiguity.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

squeeze around

Replaces "pinch" with "squeeze", maintaining the sense of applying pressure but with a broader, less precise action.

press around

Substitutes "pinch" with "press", suggesting a more uniform application of force around an object or area.

nip around

Uses "nip" instead of "pinch", conveying a quick, light pressure applied around something.

crimp around

Replaces "pinch" with "crimp", implying the creation of small folds or ridges around an edge.

gather around

Shifts the meaning to assembling or collecting around something, losing the physical pressure aspect.

be near

Focuses on physical proximity rather than manipulation, offering a simpler alternative for spatial relationships.

lie around

Conveys the idea of items being scattered or situated in a general area.

circumnavigate

Implies going around something, which is related to the 'around' part of the phrase but changes the action entirely.

skirt around

This idiom means to avoid dealing with an issue or problem. Its similarity lies in indirectly dealing with what is at the centre.

be scattered around

Suggests a distribution of objects or elements in a surrounding area, emphasizing dispersion.

FAQs

How can "pinch around" be used in a sentence?

The phrase "pinch around" can describe applying pressure to something in an encompassing manner. For example, "She decided to pinch around the edges of the dough to create a decorative crust."

What are some alternatives to "pinch around"?

Depending on the context, you could use "squeeze around", "press around", or "nip around".

Is "pinch around" grammatically correct?

While not a standard idiom, "pinch around" can be grammatically acceptable if the context makes the meaning clear. However, it may be perceived as informal or imprecise.

When is it best to avoid using "pinch around"?

It's best to avoid "pinch around" in formal writing or when a more precise term like "crimp around" or "gather around" would better convey your intended meaning.