Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
at the pinch of the moment
English answer:
needing to seize the moment
Added to glossary by
B D Finch
Jul 28, 2012 12:28
11 yrs ago
4 viewers *
English term
at the pinch of the moment
English
Other
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
As interesting as any of these relics was a large portfolio of old drawings, some of which, in the opinion of their possessor, bore evidence on their faces of the touch of master-hands. Very ragged and ill conditioned they mostly were, yellow with time, and tattered with rough usage; and, in their best estate, the designs had been scratched rudely with pen and ink, on coarse paper, or, if drawn with charcoal or a pencil, were now half rubbed out. You would not anywhere see rougher and homelier things than these. But this hasty rudeness made the sketches only the more valuable; because the artist seemed to have bestirred himself ----------------------------------at the pinch of the moment,--------------------------------- snatching up whatever material was nearest, so as to seize the first glimpse of an idea that might vanish in the twinkling of an eye. Thus, by the spell of a creased, soiled, and discolored scrap of paper, you were enabled to steal close to an old master, and watch him in the very effervescence of his genius.
Thank you!
Thank you!
Change log
Jul 28, 2012 12:28: changed "Kudoz queue" from "In queue" to "Public"
Aug 2, 2012 08:47: B D Finch Created KOG entry
Responses
1 hr
Selected
needing to seize the moment
The meaning of "pinch" here is the same as that of "in a pinch": when something is urgent and necessary.
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
+2
13 mins
Martin Riordan
Brazil
Brazil
Native in English
&
English
Brazil
Brazilian lawyer - 40+ years in Brazil
Native in: English (Variants: New Zealand, Scottish, British, UK, Irish, US, Australian, Canadian) 
, Portuguese (Variants: Brazilian, Mozambican, Angolan, European/Portugal) 
Works in: Portuguese to English, English to Portuguese, English, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
275
with the lack of materials available at that moment
Although the artist did not have the ideal materials available at that moment, he used whatever he could lay his hands on.
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Note added at 14 mins (2012-07-28 12:42:34 GMT)
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Example sentence from Webster's 1828 dictionary here:
http://www.1828-dictionary.com/d/search/word,pinch
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Note added at 14 mins (2012-07-28 12:42:34 GMT)
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Example sentence from Webster's 1828 dictionary here:
http://www.1828-dictionary.com/d/search/word,pinch
Example sentence:
3. Straits; difficulty; time of distress from want.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Yvonne Gallagher
: yes, I think this is straitened circumstances here; used whatever he had at hand
12 hrs
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Thanks, gallagy2!
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| agree |
Phong Le
1 day 15 hrs
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Thanks, Phong Le!
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4 hrs
on the spur of the moment
I think this is what it means: a variant of the very common idiom "on the spur of the moment", meaning spontaneously or on impulse, without planning in advance, responding immediately to a situation that arises without warning.
"At the pinch" itself could have a quite different meaning, with "pinch" implying distress; but I have a strong hunch that "the pinch of the moment" is a set phrase and that "pinch" has the same figurative meaning as "spur": a stimulus prompting an immediate response. "Pinch" and "spur" are, after all, very similar ideas.
This seems to me to fit the context perfectly. Of course the situation implies urgency; he needs to capture the image before it disappears. But it is mostly about immediacy and lack of preparation. The value of the pictures is their "hasty rudeness"; they present a "first glimpse".
There is not much evidence to be found to support the idea that this is a set phrase. However, here it the very similar expression "in the pinch of the moment" used in just this sense:
"The pair met in 1995 when Bakotic became second in command of the Ingalls-built USS Ticonderoga. Triplett was a machinist repairman.
Triplett was a natural leader who was well liked and able to fabricate needed parts "in the pinch of the moment," Bakotic said."
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2011/11/vet_...
It seems clear to me that the speaker means exactly "on the spur of the moment" here.
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Note added at 4 hrs (2012-07-28 17:18:59 GMT)
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Where I differ from my colleagues here is that I don't think pinch has any sense of a dilemma or difficulty in this particular phrase.
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Note added at 4 hrs (2012-07-28 17:20:22 GMT)
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By the way, neither Webster nor any other dictionary I have consulted lists or defines this particular phrase, nor indeed "at the pinch" of anything else.
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Note added at 12 hrs (2012-07-29 01:03:40 GMT)
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Another possibility that occurs to me is that "at the pinch of the moment" means "in the heat of the moment", which is a different though related idea. It means "while temporarily angry, excited, or engrossed, and without stopping for thought" (Oxford); in this case there is no anger, but the artist is excited and engrossed. It would express intensity and urgency, which are consistent with the context.
It seems to me possible that in the reference above to the naval machinist who made parts "in the pinch of the moment", this might be what the speaker means: he was capable of improvising repairs at moments of intense excitement, tension or activity.
This also seems to be the sense of the following example, in a review of a "Gerber Bear Grylls Survival Series Fire Starter" for camping and survival:
"And it helps that is brightly colored so you can always find it. Plus the extra signaling information in it, font fade so easy, and can help you remember it in the pinch of the moment."
http://www.rei.com/product/830348/gerber-bear-grylls-surviva...
Here it does seem to mean "in the heat of the moment".
"At the pinch" itself could have a quite different meaning, with "pinch" implying distress; but I have a strong hunch that "the pinch of the moment" is a set phrase and that "pinch" has the same figurative meaning as "spur": a stimulus prompting an immediate response. "Pinch" and "spur" are, after all, very similar ideas.
This seems to me to fit the context perfectly. Of course the situation implies urgency; he needs to capture the image before it disappears. But it is mostly about immediacy and lack of preparation. The value of the pictures is their "hasty rudeness"; they present a "first glimpse".
There is not much evidence to be found to support the idea that this is a set phrase. However, here it the very similar expression "in the pinch of the moment" used in just this sense:
"The pair met in 1995 when Bakotic became second in command of the Ingalls-built USS Ticonderoga. Triplett was a machinist repairman.
Triplett was a natural leader who was well liked and able to fabricate needed parts "in the pinch of the moment," Bakotic said."
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2011/11/vet_...
It seems clear to me that the speaker means exactly "on the spur of the moment" here.
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Note added at 4 hrs (2012-07-28 17:18:59 GMT)
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Where I differ from my colleagues here is that I don't think pinch has any sense of a dilemma or difficulty in this particular phrase.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 hrs (2012-07-28 17:20:22 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
By the way, neither Webster nor any other dictionary I have consulted lists or defines this particular phrase, nor indeed "at the pinch" of anything else.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 12 hrs (2012-07-29 01:03:40 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Another possibility that occurs to me is that "at the pinch of the moment" means "in the heat of the moment", which is a different though related idea. It means "while temporarily angry, excited, or engrossed, and without stopping for thought" (Oxford); in this case there is no anger, but the artist is excited and engrossed. It would express intensity and urgency, which are consistent with the context.
It seems to me possible that in the reference above to the naval machinist who made parts "in the pinch of the moment", this might be what the speaker means: he was capable of improvising repairs at moments of intense excitement, tension or activity.
This also seems to be the sense of the following example, in a review of a "Gerber Bear Grylls Survival Series Fire Starter" for camping and survival:
"And it helps that is brightly colored so you can always find it. Plus the extra signaling information in it, font fade so easy, and can help you remember it in the pinch of the moment."
http://www.rei.com/product/830348/gerber-bear-grylls-surviva...
Here it does seem to mean "in the heat of the moment".
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Martin Riordan
: It seems likely that Triplett had to "fabricate needed parts" due to the lack of ready parts, once again suggesting to me that "in the pinch of the moment" means the momentary lack of something, as per dictionary entry.
8 hrs
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Well, I don't get that sense, Martin. The point is haste, not lack of equipment; he grabs what's closest before the moment fades. The "pinch" is extreme urgency and ephemerality. But the dictionary doesn't define this phrase, so we're guessing.
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