What is "pin"

Pin \Pin\, v. t. (Metal Working) To peen.

Pin \Pin\, v. t. [Cf. Pen to confine, or Pinfold.] To inclose; to confine; to pen; to pound.

Pin \Pin\, n. [OE. pinne, AS. pinn a pin, peg; cf. D. pin, G. pinne, Icel. pinni, W. pin, Gael. & Ir. pinne; all fr. L. pinna a pinnacle, pin, feather, perhaps orig. a different word from pinna feather. Cf. Fin of a fish, Pen a feather.]

1. A piece of wood, metal, etc., generally cylindrical, used for fastening separate articles together, or as a support by which one article may be suspended from another; a peg; a bolt.

   With pins of adamant And chains they made all fast.
   --Milton.

2. Especially, a small, pointed and headed piece of brass or other wire (commonly tinned), largely used for fastening clothes, attaching papers, etc.

3. Hence, a thing of small value; a trifle.

   He . . . did not care a pin for her.
   --Spectator.

4. That which resembles a pin in its form or use; as:

   1. A peg in musical instruments, for increasing or relaxing the tension of the strings.

   2. A linchpin.

   3. A rolling-pin.

   4. A clothespin.

   5. (Mach.) A short shaft, sometimes forming a bolt, a part of which serves as a journal. See Illust. of Knuckle joint, under Knuckle.

   6. (Joinery) The tenon of a dovetail joint.

5. One of a row of pegs in the side of an ancient drinking cup to mark how much each man should drink.

6. The bull's eye, or center, of a target; hence, the center. [Obs.] ``The very pin of his heart cleft.''
   --Shak.

7. Mood; humor. [Obs.] ``In merry pin.''
   --Cowper.

8. (Med.) Caligo. See Caligo.
   --Shak.

9. An ornament, as a brooch or badge, fastened to the clothing by a pin; as, a Masonic pin.

10. The leg; as, to knock one off his pins. [Slang] Banking pin (Horol.), a pin against which a lever strikes, to limit its motion. Pin drill (Mech.), a drill with a central pin or projection to enter a hole, for enlarging the hole, or for sinking a recess for the head of a bolt, etc.; a counterbore. Pin grass. (Bot.) See Alfilaria. Pin hole, a small hole made by a pin; hence, any very small aperture or perforation. Pin lock, a lock having a cylindrical bolt; a lock in which pins, arranged by the key, are used instead of tumblers. Pin money, an allowance of money, as that made by a husband to his wife, for private and personal expenditure. Pin rail (Naut.), a rail, usually within the bulwarks, to hold belaying pins. Sometimes applied to the fife rail. Called also pin rack. Pin wheel.

    1. A contrate wheel in which the cogs are cylindrical pins.

    2. (Fireworks) A small coil which revolves on a common pin and makes a wheel of yellow or colored fire.

Pin \Pin\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pinned; p. pr. & vb. n. Pinning.] [See Pin, n.] To fasten with, or as with, a pin; to join; as, to pin a garment; to pin boards together. ``As if she would pin her to her heart.''
--Shak.

To pin one's faith upon, to depend upon; to trust to.

acronym for personal identification number, 1981, from the first reference used with redundant number.

mid-14c., "to affix with a pin," from pin (n.). Figurative use from 1570s. Related: Pinned; pinning. Sense of "to hold someone or something down so he or it cannot escape" is attested from 1740. In U.S., as a reference to the bestowal of a fraternity pin on a female student as an indication of a relationship, it is attested by 1938. Phrase pin down "define" is from 1951.

late Old English pinn "peg, bolt," from Proto-Germanic *penn- "jutting point or peak" (cognates: Old Saxon pin "peg," Old Norse pinni "peg, tack," Middle Dutch pin "pin, peg," Old High German pfinn, German Pinne "pin, tack") from Latin pinna "a feather, plume;" in plural "a wing;" also "fin, scoop of a water wheel;" also "a pinnacle; a promontory, cape; battlement" (as in Luke iv:9 in Vulgate) and so applied to "points" of various sorts, from PIE *pet- (see pen (n.1)).\n

\nLatin pinna and penna "a feather, plume," in plural "a wing," are treated as identical in Watkins, etc., but regarded as separate (but confused) Latin words by Tucker and others, who derive pinna from PIE *spei- "sharp point" (see spike (n.1)) and see the "feather/wing" sense as secondary.\n

\nThe modern slender wire pin is first attested by this name late 14c. Transferred sense of "leg" is recorded from 1520s and hold the older sense. Pin-money "annual sum allotted to a woman for personal expenses on dress, etc." is attested from 1620s. Pins and needles "tingling sensation" is from 1810. The sound of a pin dropping as a type of something all but silent is from 1775.

n. 1 A small device, made (usually) of drawn-out steel wire with one end sharpened and the other flattened or rounded into a head, used for fastening. 2 A small nail with a head and a sharp point. 3 A cylinder often of wood or metal used to fasten or as a bearing between two parts. 4 (cx wrestling English) The victory condition of holding the opponent's shoulders on the wrestling mat for a prescribed period of time. 5 A slender object specially designed for use in a specific game or sport, such as skittles or bowling. 6 (''in plural'' '''pins'''; ''informal'') A leg. 7 (context electricity English) Any of the individual connecting elements of a multipole electrical connector. 8 A piece of jewellery that is attached to clothing with a pin. 9 (context US English) A simple accessory that can be attached to clothing with a pin or fastener, often round and bearing a design, logo or message, and used for decoration, identification or to show political affiliation, etc. 10 (context chess English) A scenario in which move a lesser piece to escape from attack would expose a more valuable piece to attack. 11 (context curling English) The spot at the exact centre of the house (the target area) 12 (context dated English) A mood, a state of being. 13 One of a row of pegs in the side of an ancient drinking cup to mark how much each person should drink. 14 (context medicine obsolete English) caligo 15 A thing of small value; a trifle. 16 A peg in musical instruments for increasing or relaxing the tension of the strings. 17 (context engineering English) A short shaft, sometimes forming a bolt, a part of which serves as a journal. 18 The tenon of a dovetail joint. vb. 1 (''often followed by a preposition such as'' '''to''' ''or'' '''on''') To fasten or attach (something) with a pin. 2 (context chess usually in the passive English) To cause (a piece) to be in a pin. 3 (context wrestling English) To pin down (someone). 4 To enclose; to confine; to pen; to pound. 5 (context computing GUI English) To attach (an icon, application, etc.) to another item. 6 (alternative form of peen English)

1. v. to hold fast or prevent from moving; "The child was pinned under the fallen tree" [syn: trap, immobilize, immobilise]

2. attach or fasten with pins [ant: unpin]

3. pierce with a pin; "pin down the butterfly"

4. immobilize a piece

5. [also: pinning, pinned]

1. n. a piece of jewelry that is pinned onto the wearer's garment

2. when a wrestler's shoulders are forced to the mat [syn: fall]

3. small markers inserted into a surface to mark scores or define locations etc. [syn: peg]

4. a number you choose and use to gain access to various accounts [syn: personal identification number, PIN number]

5. informal terms of the leg; "fever left him weak on his sticks" [syn: peg, stick]

6. axis consisting of a short shaft that supports something that turns [syn: pivot]

7. cylindrical tumblers consisting of two parts that are held in place by springs; when they are aligned with a key the bolt can be thrown

8. flagpole used to mark the position of the hole on a golf green [syn: flag]

9. a small slender (often pointed) piece of wood or metal used to support or fasten or attach things

10. a holder attached to the gunwale of a boat that holds the oar in place and acts as a fulcrum for rowing [syn: peg, thole, tholepin, rowlock, oarlock]

11. a club-shaped wooden object used in bowling; set up in groups as a target [syn: bowling pin]

12. [also: pinning, pinned]

A pin is a device used for fastening objects or material together. Pins often have two components: a long body and sharp tip made of steel, or occasionally copper or brass, and a larger head often made of plastic. The sharpened body penetrates the material, while the larger head provides a driving surface. It is formed by drawing out a thin wire, sharpening the tip, and adding a head. Nails are related, but are typically larger. In machines and engineering, pins are commonly used as pivots, hinges, shafts, jigs, and fixtures to locate or hold parts.

In chess, a pin is a situation brought on by an attacking piece in which a defending piece cannot move without exposing a more valuable defending piece on its other side to capture by the attacking piece. "To pin" refers to the action of the attacking piece inducing the pin, and the defending piece so restricted is described as pinned.

Only pieces that can move an indefinite number of squares in a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line, i.e., bishops, rooks and queens, can pin opposing pieces. Kings, knights, and pawns cannot pin. Any piece may be pinned except the king, as the king must be immediately removed from check under all circumstances.

A pinfall is a victory condition in various forms of professional wrestling that is met by holding (pinning) an opponent's shoulders on the wrestling mat, usually till the referee counts to three. In professional wrestling, a pinfall is a common method of winning a match.

The purpose of a pinning maneuver is to hold the opponent's shoulders against the mat for a count of three. The count is broken (a near-fall) if the opponent manages to raise one or both of his shoulders off of the mat, commonly by kicking out (throwing their legs up to cause their shoulders to rise from the mat). In some positions, a wrestler may bridge (arching their back so that only their feet and the top of their head are touching the ground) to put more of their weight on the pinned opponent or to prop themselves up from being pinned. Sometimes, an attacking wrestler may (illegally) hook the opponent's tights for extra leverage. Another popular illegal tactic of heel wrestlers is to attempt a pin close to the ring ropes so they can prop their legs (or on rare occasions, arms) up on the ropes to gain additional leverage, putting more weight on the opponent. On the other hand, a pin fall attempt cannot occur in the first place when one rolls out of the ring if falls do ''not ''count anywhere, or if the opponent lies on his/her stomach upon impact, so it would take extra effort to roll the opponent over, even when he/she is knocked out cold due to the body being effectively a dead weight.

"Pin" is a single by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs from their debut album, Fever to Tell (2003). It was released on July 22, 2003, and received critical acclaim but did not receive much mainstream attention, especially when compared with the band's next single " Maps". This single includes the B-side "Mr. You're On Fire Mr." (a Liars cover), which is not found on any of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' full-length releases. The single peaked at #29 on the UK official charts.

The animated video for the song was created by Tunde Adebimpe.

In bridge and similar trick-taking games, the term pin refers to the lead of a higher card from one hand to capture a singleton of lower rank in an opponent's hand.

Pin is a 1988 Canadian thriller horror film starring David Hewlett, Cynthia Preston and Terry O'Quinn, directed by Sandor Stern. The film was released in Canada with the title Pin, A Plastic Nightmare. It was released direct-to-video in the USA on January 27, 1989. The running time is 102 minutes. It is based on the novel of the same name by Andrew Neiderman.

A pin, or fall, is a victory condition in various forms of wrestling that is met by holding an opponent's shoulders or scapulae (shoulder blades) on the wrestling mat for a prescribed period of time. This article deals with the pin as it is defined in amateur wrestling.

In amateur wrestling, a pin ends the match regardless of when it occurs. Situations which are almost pins but for whatever reason do not meet the criteria — for example, have only one shoulder down or have the defending wrestler blocked in a neck bridge — are rewarded with exposure points (in collegiate wrestling, known as near fall points or back points) in order to encourage wrestlers to take risks to try to pin their opponents.

Under the 2004–05 changes to the United World Wrestling rules, amateur wrestling moved to a round-based system in which each period is conducted as a separate match with a winner declared. The pin is an exception — it ends a match outright, unlike the period-only victories awarded by technical fall or decision on points. In this way, the fall is analogous to a knockout in boxing.

Pin is a platform for creating analysis tools. A pin tool comprises instrumentation, analysis and callback routines. Instrumentation routines are called when code that has not yet been recompiled is about to be run, and enable the insertion of analysis routines. Analysis routines are called when the code associated with them is run. Callback routines are only called when specific conditions are met, or when a certain event has occurred. Pin provides an extensive application programming interface (API) for instrumentation at different abstraction levels, from one instruction to an entire binary module. It also supports callbacks for many events such as library loads, system calls, signals/exceptions and thread creation events.

Pin performs instrumentation by taking control of the program just after it loads into the memory. Then just-in-time recompiles (JIT) small sections of the binary code using pin just before it is run. New instructions to perform analysis are added to the recompiled code. These new instructions come from the Pintool. A large array of optimization techniques are used to obtain the lowest possible running time and memory use overhead. As of June 2010, Pin's average base overhead is 30 percent (without running a pintool).