pin down
verb1
To attach or secure with pins.
- Pin down the tablecloth, so it doesn't blow away in the breeze.
- There are approximately 1,000 places on British Railways where wagon brakes must be pinned down before trains proceed over severe falling gradients; the trains have to be brought to a stand for the brakes to be pinned down, and subsequently have again to be stopped for the brakes to be released.1955 March, “Modernisation and Re-Equipment of British Railways”, in Railway Magazine, pages 154, 171:
2
Idiomatic To identify something (e.g. a decision or plan) clearly or specifically.
- Something is wrong, but I can't pin it down.
3
Government, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Martial arts, Military, Politics, Sports, War, Wrestling To hold the opponent back-first so both his or her shoulders touch the mat or ground.
4
Idiomatic To corner somebody in order to get a firm answer.
- Let's try to pin him down on a price.
- Derived terms
- pindown, pindownable, unpindownable