On an emergency.
At a fight in Albany, New York, on the 12th instant, one man was stabbed desperately with a dirk. Upon a pinch, they can stah a little at the North.--New Orleans Paper.
They can't go ahead of us in England in racin'. We have colts that can whip chain-lightnin' on a pinch.--Sam Slick in England, ch. 19.
I have the best accommodations in the city, said the landlord. I can lodge 200 persons with all the ease in the world, and 300 upon a pinch.--Perils of Pearl Street, p. 142.