pincer

Etymology

From Middle English pynsor, from Old French pinceure, pinchure, from pincier (“to pinch”).

noun

1. Any object that resembles one half of a pair of pincers.

verb

1. (transitive, sometimes figurative) To surround with a pincer attack.
   After considering all frontal counteroffensive alternatives, Heublein rejected them as detrimental to its profits and came up with a brilliant pincering maneuver. It raised the price of Smirnoff by one dollar, effectively preventing segment diffusion, […] 1984, Robert Lamb, Competitive Strategic Management, page 115
   The minesweeper and the sea tug now came along either side, pincered the Vega, and seemed to be ushering it toward Moruroa, perhaps attempting to push the ketch inside the 12-mile limit. 2004, Rex Weyler, Greenpeace