to pinch
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Slang for to steal. Where the shoe pinches. See SHOE.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to pinch” mean?
Slang for to steal. Where the shoe pinches. See SHOE.
Is “to pinch” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.