pair of pincers
- noun
- /pɛr əv ˈpɪnsərz/
:
tenazas
- To assemble the model, he grabbed a pair of pincers to hold the small parts together.
Examples
-
Hanging from the chute gate by a rope was a pair of pincers.
Fiction book (1997) -
Every single grain of sand was picked up with a pair of pincers and documented with laser measurements.
Academic text (2011) -
The mechanic used a pair of pincers to grip the tight bolt during the repair.
-
She carefully lifted the hot coals with a pair of pincers to avoid burning her hands.
Synonyms
24
3.3
A small hand tool with two narrow arms used to hold tiny things
14
2.4
A tool with two arms joined at one end for gripping things
5
2.5
A hand tool with two joined arms and toothed jaws used to hold, bend, or cut things
3
5.8
A hand tool with two handles and curved jaws for gripping or cutting things like nails
3
2.8
Small tool with two thin arms used to pick up small things
1
2.2
A tool with two long handles joined at one end for holding and lifting hot or delicate things
1
1.0
A tool with two arms that you use to pick up hot or small things
A small metal tool with two thin arms to pick up very small things
How Strong
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally built from 'pair' (two matching items) + 'pincers' (a metal tool with handles and curved jaws), so a learner who knows both words can derive that it refers to two pincers / the common two‑lever tool. The 'pair of N' construction is a transparent, cross‑linguistic noun phrase pattern with no idiomatic or metaphorical shift.
Etymology
Pair of pincers comes from the tool's look: a pair of metal arms called pincers joined at a point, so when you squeeze the handles the ends close together to 'grip' something. That's why it means a small hand tool used for holding or pulling objects.