pin down (someone)

pin down (someone)
pin down (someone) 1. to keep someone from being able to escape by shooting at them.

For a time, the crew was pinned down by machine-gun fire.

2. to get specific information from someone.

It is not easy to pin down a politician who won't even tell you if it's raining or snowing!

We tried to pin him down on where the money would come from.

3. to hold someone by force so that they cannot move.

Burns usually pinned down and then handcuffed his victims.

I was pinned down by a wall that had fallen.

Usage notes: when the object is a pronoun, it always follows pin:

Don't pin me down about my plans.


New idioms dictionary. 2014.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • pin down with a label — If you pin someone down with a label, you characterise them, often meant negatively as the label is restrictive …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • pin down — verb 1. define clearly (Freq. 1) I cannot narrow down the rules for this game • Syn: ↑peg down, ↑nail down, ↑narrow down, ↑narrow, ↑specify • Derivationally related forms: ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • pin down — {v.} 1a. To keep (someone) from moving; make stay in a place or position; trap. * /Mr. Jones leg was pinned down under the car after the accident./ * /The soldier was pinned down in the hole because rifle bullets were flying over his head./ 1b.… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • pin down — {v.} 1a. To keep (someone) from moving; make stay in a place or position; trap. * /Mr. Jones leg was pinned down under the car after the accident./ * /The soldier was pinned down in the hole because rifle bullets were flying over his head./ 1b.… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • pin\ down — v 1a. To keep (someone) from moving; make stay in a place or position; trap. Mr. Jones leg was pinned down under the car after the accident. The soldier was pinned down in the hole because rifle bullets were flying over his head. 1b. To keep… …   Словарь американских идиом

  • pin down — phrasal verb [transitive] Word forms pin down : present tense I/you/we/they pin down he/she/it pins down present participle pinning down past tense pinned down past participle pinned down 1) to understand or describe something exactly Officials… …   English dictionary

  • pin down — 1) PHRASAL VERB If you try to pin something down, you try to discover exactly what, where, or when it is. [V P n (not pron)] It has taken until now to pin down its exact location... [V n P to n] I can only pin it down to between 1936 and 1942...… …   English dictionary

  • pin down — 1) our troops can pin down the enemy Syn: confine, trap, hem in, corner, close in, shut in, hedge in, pen in, restrain, entangle, enmesh, immobilize 2) she tried to pin him down to a plan Syn …   Thesaurus of popular words

  • pin down — 1) keep someone from moving, make someone stay in a place or position The wrestler won the match after he pinned his opponent down for almost a minute. 2) make someone tell the truth or make a commitment I couldn t pin him down as to exactly when …   Idioms and examples

  • pin — /pin/, n., v., pinned, pinning. n. 1. a small, slender, often pointed piece of wood, metal, etc., used to fasten, support, or attach things. 2. a short, slender piece of wire with a point at one end and a head at the other, for fastening things… …   Universalium

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