Word: ooch Part of Speech: verb Etymology: The verb is possibly a variant of scooch or scoot, or an onomatopoeia representing the movement. The noun is possibly derived from the verb. Pronunciation: /uːt͡ʃ/, /ut͡ʃ/ 1. To move or slide (oneself or someone, or something) by a small amount. Labels: also, informal, reflexive, transitive Example: I ooched my car forward. In Dallas, tailgaiting is an art. You have to protect your place in traffic, or some yahoo will sneak in before you. So you have to drive two inches away from the bumper in front of you. Example: It was Stephen yet not Stephen whose calloused hand was rubbing her thigh; her skirt was ooched up around her hips – she was on guard as was her habit in those days. 2. To cause (oneself or someone, or something) to change or progress by a small amount or in small increments. Labels: also, figuratively, informal, reflexive, transitive Example: An oocher, according to the The Encyclopedia Erratica, is a motorist who persists in ooching his speed to 35-miles-an-hour in a 30-mile zone. He also is the guy who insists on ooching another drink after the bars close. Example: The credit card is inflationary (merchants must be expected to ooch prices a bit to compensate for their kickbacks to the banks), even though it is responsible for only 2% of today's $98.2 billion in consumer debt. 3. To force (someone or something) to move without noticeable disruption or opposition; to nudge. Labels: figuratively, informal, transitive Example: There is one man I haven't mentioned, who quietly, without any ostentation at all, circulated among all the thousands of boys and girls, who had been "ooched" out of Johnsville when the guards were arrested, a fellow by the name of Rifkin. Example: This was a high-class white neighborhood in those days, before the colored ooched them out. 4. To move or slide by a small amount; to scooch, to scoot. Labels: informal, intransitive Example: She didn't really pull away, just ooched over a little, leaving two or three inches between us—and I liked her better for it. Example: All a guy has to do is yank on a T-shirt or a sweatshirt or something and he's done. No wires to pinch, no straps to slip, no overflow ooching over the sides or between the zipper that refuses to close unless you lie flat on your back and give up breathing. 5. To move around in a restricted or small space; to squeeze, to squirm. Labels: informal, intransitive Example: I still got sand stuck between my toes. I can feel it ooching around down there. Example: Yes, Mr. Porter is ooching in his chair because we think you're dead wrong on that. 6. To change or progress by a small amount or in small increments; to nudge. Labels: figuratively, informal, intransitive Example: I mean, come on, unemployment is down for 3 straight months, and that's a good thing. In fact, unemployment claims, even they ooched up a tiny bit now, are for the last 3 or 4 months at all-time lows, which is encouraging in terms of what it says about the fundamentals of this economy. Example: We have often found that after a short period of "ooching" our way into a new venture, we need to change strategies and goals to take advantage of the new opportunities and markets that present themselves. 7. To force to move without noticeable disruption or opposition. Labels: figuratively, informal, intransitive Example: From what General Slate said, Prettyboy will just get ooched out of Fort Murray and shipped to some nice restful post in Alaska. 8. To propel a boat or sailboard by rocking one's body back and forth. Labels: informal, intransitive Example: But if you are racing a boat without a chute, especially a single-hander, ooching is usually more effective. Example: Ooching involves the lower haIf of the body and the board. By pushing the board back and forth in small places, by minimal extension and retraction of the knees, the planing condition can be induced or enhanced.