squeeze Идиома

budget squeeze/crunch

a situation where there is not enough money in the budget We have been going through a severe budget squeeze at our company and must begin to stop spending money in a wasteful manner.

tight squeeze

difficult financial situation The company is in a tight squeeze now that sales are down from last year.

squeeze the trigger

to shoot a gun

put the squeeze on

Idiom(s): put the heat on (someone) AND put the screws on (someone); put the squeeze on (someone)

Theme: CONTROL

to put pressure on someone (to do something); to coerce someone.(Slang.)
• John wouldn't talk, so the police were putting the heat on him to confess.
• When they put the screws on, they can be very unpleasant.
• The police know how to put the squeeze on.

Squeeze blood out of a turnip

(USA) When people say that you can't squeeze blood out of a turnip, it means that you cannot get something from a person, especially money, that they don't have.

main squeeze|main|squeeze

n., slang 1. The top ranking person in an organization or in a neighborhood; an important person, such as one's boss. Mr. Bronchard is the main squeeze in this office. 2. The top person in charge of an illegal operation, such as drug sales, etc. Before we can clean up this part of town, we must arrest the main squeeze. 3. One's principal romantic or sexual partner. The singer's main squeeze is a member of the band.

squeeze out of|squeeze

v. phr. To apply pressure to someone in order to obtain what one desires. The police were interrogating the suspect to squeeze information out of him.

tight squeeze|squeeze|tight

n. phr. A difficult situation; financial troubles. The Browns aren't going out to dinner these days; they are in a tight squeeze.

main squeeze

main squeeze
1) One's boss, the highest authority, an important person. For example, Who's the main squeeze in this company? This slangy term was first recorded in 1896, and the precise allusion is unclear.
2) One's sweetheart, as in Nancy is his main squeeze. This slangy usage, first recorded in 1970, alludes to the “squeeze” of a hug.

squeeze

squeeze
In addition to the idioms beginning with squeeze, also see main squeeze; put the arm on; tight squeeze.
* * *
- squeeze off
- squeeze play
- squeeze through

squeeze off

squeeze off
Fire a gun, as in He squeezed off one shot after another but didn't bring down a single crow. The idiom alludes to squeezing the trigger. [Mid-1900s]

squeeze play

squeeze play
A situation in which pressure exerted to obtain a concession or achieve a goal, as in Workers sometimes feel caught in a squeeze play between union and management. This expression, dating from about 1900, originated in baseball, where it refers to a prearranged play in which the runner on third base breaks for home plate on the pitch, and the batter bunts. [c. 1915]

squeeze through

squeeze through
Also, squeeze by. Manage to pass, win, or survive by a narrow margin, as in We squeezed through the second round of playoffs, or There was just enough food stored in the cabin for us to squeeze by until the hurricane ended. This idiom uses squeeze in the sense of “succeed by means of compression.” [c. 1700] Also see squeak by.

More Idioms/Phrases

squeak squeeze squeeze off squeeze play squeeze through stab stab in the back, a stable stack staff of life

English Vocalbulary

lemon verbena lemonade lemonades lemons lemony lempira lempiras Lemuel lemur lemures lemuroid lemurs Len Lena lend lend-lease lend out lender squeeze 反対語