pinch hitter


noun

Baseball. a substitute who bats for a teammate, often at a critical moment of the game.
any substitute for another, especially in an emergency.

Origin of pinch hitter

An Americanism dating back to 1910–15

Idioms and Phrases with pinch hitter

pinch hitter

A substitute for another person, especially in an emergency. For example, Pat expected her mother to help with the baby, but just in case, she lined up her mother-in-law as pinch hitter. This expression comes from baseball, where it is used for a player substituting for another at bat at a critical point or in a tight situation (called a pinch since the late 1400s). [Late 1800s]