clinching

clinching

1. present participle and gerund of clinch

clinching (comparative more clinching, superlative most clinching)

1. That settles something (such as an argument) definitely and conclusively.
   • 1872, [Thomas Hardy], “VIII. Dick Meets His Father”, in Under the Greenwood Tree: A Rural Painting of the Dutch School, volume II, London: Tinsley Brothers, →OCLC, part II, page 16:

     ‘Yes,’ said Dick, with such a clinching period at the end that it seemed he was never going to add another word.

   • 1921, Edwin Arlington Robinson, “Imogen”, in Collected Poems‎, lines 113–119:

     There were no dreams,
     No phantoms in her future any more:
     One clinching revelation of what was
     One by-flash of irrevocable chance,
     Had acridly but honestly foretold
     The mystical fulfilment of a life
     That might have once … But that was all gone by

   • 1960 February 22, “Breaking the Fast”, in Time:

     He shocked his hearers by urging them not to fast during Ramadan, which begins Feb. 29. As a clinching argument, Bourguiba recalled that even Mohammed, when inconveniently overtaken by Ramadan on his march to Mecca, counseled his soldiers: “Break the fast, and you will be stronger to confront the enemy.”

clinching (countable and uncountable, plural clinchings)

1. A clinch; a passionate embrace.
   • 1937, Motion Picture Herald, volume 127, numbers 1-6, page 42:

     Though there are no kissings and clinchings, […]

2. A making certain or finalizing.
   • 2015, George Becnel, The Southland Conference: Small College Football, Big Dreams:

     Only six weeks into the season, the top-ranked Bulldogs were undefeated at 60, but more important to Louisiana Tech was one of the earliest clinchings of a conference title in the annals of college football.

3. (computing, historical) The distortion of computer tape by wrinkling.
   • 1985, Alvin C. Larson, Computer Operator (AFSC 51150), page 87:

     This “clinching” can distort the tape by causing a series of creases or folds in the surface and may produce read errors.

   • 1987, Conservation Administration News, numbers 28-35, page 29:

     Computer magnetic tape is designed primarily for its storage capacity, speed, and capacity to be repeatedly erased and written over. […] Bad binder can cause holes in the oxide, loose particles, or clinching of tape.