to pitch into one
Preserved but no longer current.
To assail him vigorously; to give it him hot. Touch pitch, and you will be defiled. "The finger that touches rouge will be red." "Evil communications corrupt good manners." "A rotten apple injures its companions." Shake- speare introduces the proverb in Much Ado (ui, 3).
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 pitch into one” mean?
To assail him vigorously; to give it him hot. Touch pitch, and you will be defiled. "The finger that touches rouge will be red." "Evil communications corrupt good manners." "A rotten apple injures its companions." Shake- speare introduces the proverb in Much Ado (ui, 3).
Is “to pitch into one” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.