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English Idiom: In a pinch
Most people cook, and most of us have tried to create something, but while cooking, we realized we did not have all the required ingredients.
When this happens, we can use the idiom in a pinch.
One possible meaning of this idiom is as a substitute.
If you don’t have lime juice, you can probably use lemon juice in a pinch because there will not be a big difference.
In a pinch has other meanings as well.
It can also mean in an emergency or if necessary.
Sometimes, we do not have time to cook when we are swamped with work.
At these times, even though we would prefer to eat healthily, we need to go for takeout food.
It’s not the best choice, and it’s not your first choice, but in a pinch, it’s better than nothing.
So there you have it.
In a pinch can be used to mean as a substitute, in an emergency or if necessary.
Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test
This post is understandable by someone with at least a 6th-grade education (age 11).
On the Flesch-Kincaid reading-ease test, this post scores 83.
The easier a passage is to read, the higher the score on a scale of 0 – 100.