pincushion
Part of speech: noun
verb
Morphological type: compound
Topics: business
manufacturing
sewing
textiles
Etymology: The noun is derived from pin + cushion. The verb is derived from the noun.
Compound parts: pin
cushion
Inflected forms:
form: pincushions
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: pin cushion
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: pin-cushion
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: pincushions
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: pincushioning
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: pincushioned
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: pincushioned
pos: verb
tags: past
Senses:
gloss: A device, originally like a small, stuffed cushion, designed to have sewing pins and needles stuck into it to store them safely; some modern pincushions hold the objects magnetically.
pos: noun
examples: Then for womens cloaths, the cabadge of cloath of ſilver, brancht Sattin, and the like, went for pin-cuſhions, pin-pillows, womens purſes; and if black, Church-wardens capes.
Some were condenſing Air into a dry tangible Subſtance, by extracting the Nitre, and letting the aqueous or fluid Particles percolate; others ſoftening Marble for Pillows or Pincuſhions; others petrifying the Hoofs of a living Horſe to preſerve them from foundring.
And if, wiſely, or taught by Experience, ſhe [a prostitute] has ſunk any Part [of the money], by hiding it, ſuppose in a Pincuſhion, ripp'd and ſew'd up again, or in her Hair, [...] and is found out, it muſt be pleaſant enough to hear the conſcientious Pandar exclaiming, and crying Vengeance againſt her, for Perfidiouſneſs, and Breach of Truſt.
From the inn she is taken to the house of the procuress, divested of her home-spun garb, and dressed in the gayest style of the day; her pincushion and scissars discarded for an etwee and watch, and the tender native hue of her complexion incrusted with paint, and disguised by patches.
Surely, man is a pincuſhion.— [...] He muſt, as other pincuſhions, (whether in the form of a heart, an oval, or an oblong ſquare,) be formed by the ingenuity, and faſhioned by the judgment of ſome ſkilful female. How great an analogy is there between man and a pincuſhion. The one fed with grain, the other with the huſks of it. As the bran is preſſed into the pincuſhion by the ſlender fingers of the deſigning female, ſo are new principles, new ideas, and new affections, diffuſed into the mind, and inculcated in the breaſt, by the powerful charms of the uſurping maid.
It is also expedient to carry about you a purse, a thimble, a pincushion, a pencil, a knife, and a pair of scissars, which will not only be an inexpressible source of comfort and independence, by removing the necessity of borrowing, but will secure the privilege of not lending these indispensable items.
Here, take thy satin pincushion, with thy curious half-hundred of pins in it, that you made such a vapouring about yesterday; tell them carefully, there's not one wanting.
He was accompanied by the honest Bonnet-maker, who, being, as the reader is aware, a little round man, had planted himself like a pin-cushion, (for he was wrapped in a scarlet cloak, over which he had slung a hawking-pouch,) on the top of a great saddle, which he might be said rather to be perched upon than to bestride.
Do you think I am going to allow my body to be made a pincushion of, by every little frog-eater who don't like the shape of your nose?
Going up to the dressing-table he passed his hand over the lilac-coloured pincushion, into which were stuck all kinds of pins; a bowl of pot-pourri exhaled a scent that made his head turn just a little.
All our foolish little paper-knives and pincushions have their origin in the gold and myrrh and frankincense that the three wise men brought to that lowly stable in Bethlehem.
[...] and, finally, came a platoon of footmen, bearing a large green coffer full of mirrors, sponges, clothes brushes with red velvet handles, pin cushions of crimson satin, combs, nightcaps—everything that could be thought of for her comfort.
Yes, at two or more f-stops smaller than maximum aperture there should be a gain in sharpness, particularly in the corners. Is it sharp enough to satisfy you? Examine the horizontal building lines. Do they bulge outwards, indicating barrel distortion, or inward (pincushion distortion)?
Pincushion distortion is a form of spatial distortion that warps the appearance of the image. It is a consequence of projecting the image formed on a curved input phosphor to a flat output phosphor. Pincushion distortion results in slightly higher magnification of the input image toward the edge of the image.
Unaware of what she was doing, Skyla gripped Ladek's arm. For someone who bit her nails, they were remarkably sharp, and within seconds he felt like a pin cushion.
gloss: The names of various plants with flowers or other parts resembling a pincushion.
pos: noun
examples: [S]ee how the knowledge of the climate tolerances of one South African shrub, the Saldana pincushion (Leucospermum tomentosum) is integrated with projections of a global circulation model applied to the southern tip of South Africa [...].
gloss: The names of various plants with flowers or other parts resembling a pincushion.
pos: noun
examples: Scabiosa, often called mourning bride, pincushion flower, and sweet scabious, is an easily grown, old-fashioned, half-hardy annual. It is very attractive and satisfactory both for cutting and for borders and beds.
gloss: The names of various plants with flowers or other parts resembling a pincushion.
pos: noun
gloss: The names of various plants with flowers or other parts resembling a pincushion.
pos: noun
examples: An abundant wildflower following good winter rains, Fremont pincushion [Chaenactis fremontii] features heads composed entirely of white or pinkish disk flowers.
Pebble pincushion [Chaenactis carphoclinia], a delicate annual wildflower with deeply divided leaves, has white or pinkish flowers crowded into heads. If the heads resemble pincushions, then the stamens poking out of the flowers must represent the pins.
gloss: The names of various plants with flowers or other parts resembling a pincushion.
pos: noun
examples: Alverson's pincushion cactus (Coryophantha vivipara var. alversonii), under status review by the USF&WS for possible listing as threatened or endangered, is reported to occur the along the northwest boundary of the WSA.
gloss: The names of various plants with flowers or other parts resembling a pincushion.
pos: noun
examples: Marigold pincushion [Navarretia tagetina], however, is widespread throughout the region except along the coast. [...] In eastern Sacramento County, it grows together with downy pincushion (Navarretia pubescens) in small clearings in blue oak woodland.
gloss: A person who is pricked or stabbed multiple times with sharp objects; specifically, someone who receives regular hypodermic needle injections.
pos: noun
tags: colloquial
figuratively
examples: Insulin-dependent diabetics are human pincushions.
It took an hour to get there, and by the time the job was done we had collected so many cactus thorns that we felt like human pincushions.
Funny thing how her shooting him saved his life. If you hadn't called a quick halt, the cops would have turned him into a human pincushion.
Oh yes, I am truly a pincushion. Probably pierced more frequently than pincushions which don't belong to people who sew for a living. You see, I'm a practicing diabetic. Doctors and other members of my Health Care Team tell me I've got to keep my blood sugar level in the normal range and that in order to do that three insulin shots a day and a minimum of three blood sugar checks each day, are called for. Easy for them to say. I get to be the pincushion.
Some cats can go a little overboard, though. Some drool while kneading, and others become so enthusiastic that they drive their sharp claws into human legs. If your cat is turning you into a pincushion and regular nail clipping sessions aren't making it less painful for you, you can stop this behavior from becoming an unpleasant habit by simply standing up and walking away.
One thing that really annoyed me about my mother being in the hospital is that she became a living pincushion. Her arms were black and blue all over from IV lines and blood draws.
gloss: To jab or stick repeatedly with one or more sharp objects, as with pins into a pincushion.
pos: verb
tags: also
figuratively
transitive
examples: The target was pincushioned with arrows.
[page 290] Then Esther would be constantly making us little presents; little pin-cushions, and purses, and such like, which it was impossible to refuse. [...] [W]e had some very fine old lace, which had belonged to our mother, and we agreed that we would give this to Esther. [...] [pages 291–292] When the transaction came to Aunt Dorothy's knowledge, she was very indignant indeed; and said that we were "two fools to be pin-cushioned out of our mother's old point, which had been in our family ever so long.
As I saw Lady Baker hanging round her son's neck, and fondling his scanty ringlets, I remembered the awful stories with which in former days she used to entertain us regarding this reprobate. Her heart was pincushioned with his filial crimes.
Again, the double Lobelia is not to be trusted in a row where uniformity of colour is an object. […] Its place is pin[-]cushioned among such delicate flowers as Ivy-leaved Pelargoniums and Duke of Edinburgh, the grand tufts of flowers having a chaste and charming effect among the beautiful foliage and beautiful flowers of such delicate colours, and the failures being little observed.
Lester and his two boys, Ray and Steve, lay in the ranchyard pincushioned with arrows.
Well, folks, not to worry. First, I was stuffed to the gullet with malaria prophylactics and pincushioned with inoculations against the most prevalent tropical maladies [...]
Why hadn't I ever considered the extremely agonizing spikiness of a Christmas tree? The vicious needles pincushioned my hands and the tree wobbled precariously as I scrabbled for a pain-free hold.
gloss: To assume the shape of a pincushion; specifically, of the image on a computer display, television, etc., to exhibit pincushion distortion, where the sides curve inwards.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: A monitor is pincushioning when the display appears to have curved sides.
[page 42] Flaps, however, ‘pin cushion’ and develop a convex form as they contract. For this reason, flaps are best used to resurface convex surfaces. A skin graft is best for planar or concave recipient sites. [...] [page 282] As the flap contracts, it pin cushions. This trapdoor effect can contribute to a convex shape.
A circular island flap may pin-cushion. This complication can be avoided with proper planning.
Derived words: ornamental pincushion
pincushion cactus
pincushion coneflower
pincushion corner
pincushion distortion
pincushion doll
pincushion flower
pincushion hakea
pincushionplant
pincushion sea star
pincushiony
sea-pincushion
Translations:
lang: Finnish
word: neulio