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to pinch someone's tushie

to pinch someone's tushie

9.9
To squeeze someone's bottom playfully to show affection or flirt
  • phrasal verb
  • /pɪnʧ sʌmˈwʌnz ˈtʊʃi/
  • Offensive
translation icon : pellizcar el trasero (a alguien)
  • They both laughed after Sarah pinched Mike's tushie at the party.

Examples

  • She couldn't resist and pinched his tushie as he walked by.

  • Don't pinch her tushie in public!

  • It surprised him when his partner pinched his tushie in the kitchen.

  • He loves to pinch my tushie when I'm not looking.

  • She playfully pinched his tushie while they were dancing at the party.

  • Feeling cheeky, he leaned over and pinched her tushie as she passed him.

  • As a playful gesture, she often pinched his tushie whenever they shared a laugh.

Synonyms

to smoosh
vsto pinch someone's tushie
  • Informal
3 7.7

To squeeze a person or pet gently in a loving way

aims only at the buttocks for flirtation rather than general affectionate pressing
to goose
vsto pinch someone's tushie
  • Offensive
2 8.1

To pinch someone on the bottom as a playful surprise

is a gentle squeeze used affectionately or flirtatiously rather than to surprise

How Firm

to squeeze
119 1.6
to grab
1.0
to pinch someone's tushie
  • Offensive
9.9
to pat
110 1.0
tap
66 1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

pinch + someone's + tushie

The meaning is directly compositional: 'pinch' (to squeeze), a possessive, and 'tushie' (playful term for buttocks) together clearly indicate squeezing someone’s rear. Although 'tushie' is colloquial and the phrase carries informal/flirtatious pragmatic coloring, the basic action and referent are immediately derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

Pinch someone's tushie comes from the literal image of someone pinching a person's tushie, a playful word for the 'butt'. Because this touch is usually a joke or a flirty act, the phrase now means 'to playfully squeeze someone's butt'.