squeeze

Etymology

From earlier squize, squise (whence also dialectal English squizzen and squeege), first attested around 1600, further origin uncertain; probably an alteration of quease (which is attested since 1550), from Middle English queisen (“to squeeze”), from Old English cwēsan, cwȳsan (“to crush, squeeze”), itself also of unknown origin, perhaps imitative (compare Swedish qväsa, kväsa (“to squeeze, bruise, crush; quell”), Dutch kwetsen (“to injure, hurt”), German quetschen (“to squeeze”)). Or, a blend of obsolete squiss (“to squeeze”) (whence also squash and squish) with quease. Compare also French esquicher from Old Occitan esquichar (“to press, squeeze”). The slang expression "to put the squeeze on (someone or something)", meaning "to exert influence", is from 1711. The baseball term "squeeze play" is first recorded 1905. "Main squeeze" ("most important person") is attested from 1896, the specific meaning "one's sweetheart, lover" is attested in 1970s. The nonstandard strong forms squoze and squozen, attested dialectally since at least the mid-19th century, are by analogy with freeze.

verb

1. (transitive) To apply pressure to from two or more sides at once.
   I squeezed the ball between my hands.
   Please don't squeeze the toothpaste tube in the middle.
2. (transitive) To embrace closely; to give a tight hug to.
3. (transitive, intransitive) To fit into a tight place.
   I managed to squeeze the car into that parking space.
   Can you squeeze through that gap?
   It was an omen of things to come as in the 56th minute the visitors took the lead after a mix-up between Skrtel and Sotirios Kyrgiakos allowed Ebanks-Blake's through-ball to squeeze between them. December 29, 2010, Sam Sheringham, “Liverpool 0 - 1 Wolverhampton”, in BBC
4. (transitive) To remove something with difficulty, or apparent difficulty.
   He squeezed some money out of his wallet.
5. (transitive) To put in a difficult position by presenting two or more choices.
   I'm being squeezed between my job and my volunteer work.
   At a time when Mr. Cameron is being squeezed from both sides — from the right by members of his own party and by the anti-immigrant, anti-Europe U.K. Independence Party, and from the left by his Liberal Democrat coalition partners — the move seemed uncharacteristically clunky. May 23 2013, Sarah Lyall, “British Leader’s Liberal Turn Sets Off a Rebellion in His Party”, in New York Times, retrieved 2013-05-29
6. (transitive, figurative) To oppress with hardships, burdens, or taxes; to harass.
7. (transitive, baseball) To attempt to score a runner from third by bunting.
   Jones squeezed in Smith with a perfect bunt.

noun

1. An instance of squeezing.
   to give something a squeeze ― to squeeze something
   Dip your sponge into the water, tehn turn it over and dip it again. That gets both sides wet. Now give it a squeeze to get most of the water out—but not all of it! You'll get the feel of how much water you need in your sponge as you practice with the clay. 2016-10-10, Ann Pelo, The Language of Art: Inquiry-Based Studio Practices in Early Childhood Settings, Redleaf Press, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 98
2. A close or tight fit.
3. (figurative) A difficult position.
   I'm in a tight squeeze right now when it comes to my free time.
   There is a growing recognition that, as the population ages and the squeeze on NHS resources continues, better ways of supporting older people outside hospital need to be developed. 2016-06-30, Kate Murray, “How occupational therapists help keep older people out of hospital”, in The Guardian
4. A hug or other affectionate grasp.
   a gentle squeeze on the arm
5. (slang) A romantic partner.
   I want to be your main squeeze.
   He spent nights cruising queer bars near the pad, saw Wiltsie at the dives, but always in the company of his squeeze, a guy he called 'Duane.' 1988, James Ellroy, Dudley Smith Trio: The Big Nowhere, LA Confidential, White Jazz, Random House, page 459
   His young squeeze had just backed out and had not seen the assault on her “sugar daddy” when it happened! 2012, J. Lamar, Tip Tap Toe, Xlibris Corporation, page 141
   But even considering that, he might have been a bit more restrained if he hadn't run into his former sexy squeeze, Penny Atieno. 2014, N. Lombardi Jr., Journey Towards a Falling Sun, John Hunt Publishing
6. (slang) An illicit alcoholic drink made by squeezing Sterno through cheesecloth, etc., and mixing the result with fruit juice.
7. (baseball) The act of bunting in an attempt to score a runner from third.
   The game ended in exciting fashion with a failed squeeze.
8. (card games) A play that forces an opponent to discard a card that gives up one or more tricks.
9. (caving) A traversal of a narrow passage.
   It was a tight squeeze, but I got through to the next section of the cave.
   The most notorious squeezes have names: the Gun Barrel, Jam Crack, the Electric Armpit Crawl, Devil's Pinch. 2003, Barbara Hurd, “The Squeeze”, in Entering the Stone: On Caves and Feeling through the Dark, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Company, page 11
   Prior to going back out to Mystery Cave again we spent a lot of time preparing. We made a squeeze box, which is a wooden box the opening of which can be adjusted in size. We could then crawl through the opening and measure to see how tight of a squeeze we could fit through. 2016, Diego Rodriguez, The Caver: Dig ... But Not to Far, Munich: BookRix
10. A moulding, cast or other impression of an object, chiefly a design, inscription etc., especially by pressing wet paper onto the surface and peeling off when dry.
    Nollekens, finding his wife always benefited by these visits, never refused White a squeeze of a patera, or any thing that would answer his purpose; […] White […] had turned his wine-cellars into manufactories for the produce of cast coins, and moderns squeezes from Roman lamps. 1828, JT Smith, Nollekens and His Times, Century Hutchinson, published 1986, page 65
11. (mining) The gradual closing of workings by the weight of the overlying strata.
12. (dated) The situation experienced by a middleman when pressured from both sides, especially financially.
    Thus was established a powerful Chinese combination, which maintained itself by submitting to a heavy "squeeze" at the hands of the Viceroy and Governor of Canton on the one hand and of the Hoppo on the other. 1898, Archibald R. Colquhoun, China in Transformation, page 47
13. (dated) A bribe, fee, or extortionary price paid to a middleman, especially in China; the practice of requiring such a bribe or fee.
    If the licence […] was costly, it secured to them uninterrupted and extraordinary pecuniary advantages; but on the other hand it subjected them to 'calls' or 'squeezes' for contributions to public works, […] for the relief of districts suffering from scarcity […] as well as for the often imaginary […] damage caused by the overflowing of the 'Yangtse Keang' or the 'Yellow River.' 1882, William C. Hunter, The "Fan Kwae" at Canton before treaty days 1825-1844