Squeeze Definition
- to succeed, survive, get through, etc. by a narrow margin or with difficulty
Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Squeeze
- squeeze through
Origin of Squeeze
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From earlier squize, squise (whence also English dialectal squizzen and squeege), first attested around 1600, probably an alteration of quease (which is attested since 1550), from Middle English queisen (“to squeeze"), from Old English cwÄ“san, cwȳsan (“to crush, squeeze"), of unknown origin, perhaps imitative (compare Swedish qväsa, kväsa (“to squeeze, bruise, crush; quell"), Dutch kwetsen (“to injure, hurt"), German quetschen (“to squeeze")). Compare also Old Provençal 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 by 1980.
From Wiktionary
Probably alteration of obsolete quease to press from Middle English queisen from Old English cwȳsan
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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