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pin

pin

3 9.2
A person's legs in informal speech
  • noun
  • /pɪn/
  • Slang
: pata (coloquial)

Examples

  • You know, I just got some pins in my legs.

  • I know he's got a pin in his leg from a car accident.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • I've been on pins and needles all day.

  • "I've got six pins in my leg," Ezra announced.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • I've finished the chemo, but I still have residual pins and needles; they're lessening now but still with me.

    Academic text (2010)
  • After running a marathon, my legs were sore, and I could barely walk on my pins.

  • He fell and landed hard, hurting his pins on the ground.

  • As a dancer, she relies on her pins to perform all those intricate moves.

Synonyms

peg
vspin
6 8.1

A replacement leg fitted to help a person walk

refers to natural legs in casual speech rather than prosthetic limbs
stick
vspin
  • Slang
1 9.5

A person's leg, usually thin or weak

is a neutral informal term for legs not stressing thinness

Idioms

to care a pin
  • Archaic
1 9.9

To not mind something at all

1 9.9

A phrase people say to make fun of someone who brags

Compounds

13 1.8

A secret number that lets you access bank or phone accounts

12 2.2

A small metal clip that holds hair in place

11 1.0

A small metal thing with a sharp point and a cover that holds clothes together

8 1.5

A long round tool for flattening dough in the kitchen

firing pin
  • Specialized
8 6.8

A small metal part inside a gun that hits the cartridge to start the bullet moving

6 1.4

A heavy wooden thing shaped like a club that players try to knock down in bowling

pin-up
  • NSFW
5 7.5

A picture of an attractive person or the person shown

cotter pin
  • Specialized
2 7.4

A metal pin with split ends that you put through a hole and bend apart to hold parts together

1 2.6

A thin piece of metal with a sharp end that holds cloth or paper

pin money
  • Archaic
1 6.1

A small amount of money kept for personal expenses

pin tumbler
  • Specialized
1 7.3

A set of small metal pins inside a lock that a key lines up to open it

1 5.8

A small curl made by twisting damp hair and holding it with a pin

1 1.4

A small clip made of wood or plastic that holds clothes on a line while they dry

safety pin
  • Neologism
1 2.7

A small metal object worn on clothing to show support for a person or group

pin oak
  • US
1 5.0

A large oak tree that grows fast with deeply cut leaves and bright red color in autumn

1 6.5

A machine you play by hitting buttons to move a metal ball

pin-up art
  • NSFW
1 7.5

Pictures of women posed in an attractive, old-fashioned style

gudgeon pin
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A metal pin that joins the piston to the connecting rod in an engine so the piston can turn slightly

dowel pin
  • Specialized
1 6.7

A small round metal or wooden rod that you put into holes in two pieces to hold them together

pin bone
  • Specialized
1 9.4

A small hard part inside a sirloin steak between the flat bone and the porterhouse

1 2.3

A short pin with a flat head that attaches paper to a wall or board

belaying pin
  • Specialized
1 9.2

A short wooden or metal bar that holds a rope when you wrap it around

pin wrench
  • Specialized
1 7.9

A wrench with pins that fit into holes to turn round nuts like locknuts

1 6.8

A small wooden target that players knock down in the game of skittles

1 8.5

A small tree or bush with bright red sour fruit

1 6.3

A small to medium oak tree from east-central North America with leaves that have many sharp points

swivel pin
  • Specialized
1 7.5

A metal part that turns to let a car's wheel move when you steer

bitt pin
  • Specialized
9.9

A pin people place across a post on a ship to stop a rope from slipping off

9.8

A weed with reddish stems and small purple flowers used as food for farm animals

9.9

A spreading plant with reddish flowers grown for animal food

A duck with a long neck and long thin tail feathers

A bird with very long middle tail feathers

A bird with long middle tail feathers that lives in Europe and Africa

A small decorative pin worn on clothes, often in groups

wrist pin
  • Specialized
8.5

A metal rod placed through wrist bones to hold them still while they heal

wrist pin
  • Specialized
8.6

A small metal rod that joins a piston to the rod that moves it in an engine

How Colloquial

gams
  • NSFW
9.9
pin
  • Slang
3 9.2
legs
  • Informal
26 7.0

Surface Forms

pin singular
pins plural

Etymology

Pins for legs comes from the image of a long, thin stick, from old English pinn meaning 'peg' or 'stick'. So people call legs 'pins' because they are long and slim like little pegs.