pinch hitter

noun
1.
Baseball. a substitute who bats for a teammate, often at a critical moment of the game.
2.
any substitute for another, especially in an emergency.
Origin
1910-15, Americanism
Examples from the web for pinch hitter
  • Claimant testified he had played softball in jail but was unable to swing a bat and had to have a pinch hitter.
  • He has been used in the role of a pinch hitter and he has filled it with great success.
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 ]