Meanings
plural pinch-bellies
- alternativeAlternative form of pinch-gut (“miser”).
Such a Pinch-belly, that he grudgeth himself sustenance, like that Wretch reported by St. Ambrose, who eating of an Egge for his meat, uttered these words with a sigh, that he had lost a Hen; repining therein at his great expence.
1662, Jacques Olivier, translated by Richard Banke, A Discourse of Women, Shewing Their Imperfections Alphabetically, →OCLC, page 2 - alternativenamealternative name for squeeze stiles, usually stone, in Gloucestershire generally and Stroud in particular. Archaic, mid 20ᵗʰC. There is a 10ᵗʰC right of way called "Pinch Belly Alley" (aka Mercer St) between Westgate St (51.86567,-2.2465) & Cross Keys Lane (51.86516,-2.24715) in Gloucester. The remains of the two stones are embedded in an old wall.
Synonyms & antonyms
Cite this entry
pinch-belly. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pinch-belly
“pinch-belly.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pinch-belly. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pinch-belly,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pinch-belly.
Source: pinch-belly on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.