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to pinch-hit

to pinch-hit

8 7.6
To do another person's work for a short time when they cannot
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈpɪnʧ hɪt/
  • US
translation icon : sustituir temporalmente
  • I had to pinch-hit for my colleague at the meeting when he got stuck in traffic.
  • pinch-hit homer
  • pinch-hit single
  • pinch-hit RBI

Examples

How Involved

to take over
862 3.1
to fill in
100 3.3
to pinch-hit
  • US
8 7.6
to stand in
115 3.5
to step in
240 3.2

Surface Forms

pinch-hit infinitive
pinch-hit past
pinch-hit past participle
pinch-hitting present participle
pinch-hits third person singular

Morphology

pinch-hit = pinch + hit (semi-transparent) = pinch + hit

The components 'pinch' and 'hit' are recognizable, but the specialized baseball sense and the figurative extension to 'substitute' are not fully predictable from the parts for an average learner.

Etymology

Pinch-hit comes from baseball, where a player called a pinch hitter goes in to hit when the team is in a pinch 'a tight spot'. So, to pinch-hit means to step in and substitute for someone for a short time.