Squeezes

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. Applies pressure by pressing firmly to reduce size or volume ; forces a person or object into a restricted or narrow area ; obtains or extracts something through effort or demand
2. Exerts force to compress or constrict an item or substance ; compels entry into a cramped or confined spot ; acquires or secures something with difficulty or urgency
3. Presses tightly to compact or restrict shape or flow ; pushes or fits into a limited or tight place ; gains possession or access to something through persistent effort

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "squeeze" is how little anyone knows for certain about where it came from. Its Old English ancestor, "cwȳsan," meant "to crush" or "to squeeze," but that word's own origin is unknown, and it may simply have been an imitation of the sound of pressing something hard. The modern form first appears around 1600 as "squize" or "squise," and its exact parentage is still debated, with scholars proposing that it blended an older word "squiss" with "quease," a descendant of the Old English verb. The word's most colourful sense is a metaphorical one. In 1711, "to put the squeeze on" someone meant to exert influence over them, and the phrase has been bending people into line ever since. Baseball later borrowed the idea: a "squeeze play," first recorded in 1905, is a tactic that forces a runner home from third base by bunting. Around 1896, "main squeeze" came to mean the most important person in one's life, and by the 1970s it had narrowed to mean a sweetheart or lover.

Synonyms: presses, compresses, squeezings, squeezed, squeeze