pincers

A crab uses its pincers to pick up a small shell.

Definition

1. Noun (plural):
   • A gripping tool: "pincers" refers to a tool consisting of two crossed pieces with curved, gripping jaws at one end, used for pulling nails, cutting wire, or holding small objects firmly.
   • The claws of certain arthropods: "pincers" also denotes the grasping appendages (chelae) of animals like crabs, lobsters, or scorpions, used for capturing prey or defense.
   • A military maneuver: In warfare, "pincers" is short for "pincer movement," a tactic where two forces attack an enemy from opposite sides simultaneously, trapping them.

Usage Examples

• As a tool:

  • He used a pair of pincers to pull the bent nails out of the wood. (A gripping tool for extracting nails.)
  • The electrician gripped the wire with pincers to cut it safely. (A tool for holding or cutting.)

• As animal claws:

  • The crab’s pincers snapped shut on the fish. (The claw-like appendages of a crustacean.)
  • The scorpion’s pincers are used to hold prey while it stings. (The grasping front claws.)

• As a military term:

  • The general ordered a pincers attack on the enemy flanks. (A two-sided assault to encircle the opponent.)

Advanced Usage

• "to be caught in a pincers": to be trapped or surrounded from two sides.

  • The rebel army was caught in a pincers between the government forces and the river. (They were trapped with no escape.)

• "pincers movement": a formal military term for an enveloping attack.

  • The pincers movement succeeded in surrounding the fortress. (The strategy of attacking from both sides.)

Variants and Related Words

• Pincer (noun, singular): one of the two parts of a pincers tool or an animal’s claw.

  • One pincer of the lobster was larger than the other. (A single claw or jaw of the tool.)

• Pincer-like (adjective): resembling or functioning like pincers.

  • The robot’s pincer-like arm could grasp delicate objects. (Having a gripping shape or action.)

Synonyms

• Pliers: a similar tool for gripping, but typically with flat jaws (used for bending or cutting wire).
• Tongs: a tool with two arms for grasping objects, often used in cooking or handling hot items.
• Claws: the sharp, curved nails of animals, but specifically for arthropods, "pincers" is the precise term.
• Chelae: the scientific term for the pincers of crustaceans and arachnids.

Phrasal Verbs

• Pincer in (rare): to surround or trap someone or something.
  • The police pincered in the thieves from both ends of the alley. (They closed in from two sides.)

Related Idioms

• In a pincer grip: under pressure from two opposing forces or demands.

  • The small business was in a pincer grip of rising costs and falling sales. (Struggling with two simultaneous problems.)

• Pincer movement of fate: a literary expression for being caught between two unavoidable events.

  • He felt the pincer movement of fate as his job ended and his health declined. (Trapped by two negative circumstances.)