death-grip

Noun

death grip (plural death grips)

1. An extremely tight grip.
   • The walker held with a death grip to his stick lest he drop it down the hill.
   1. The grip of something dead or dying.
      • I gently tore the bloodied piece of paper out from her death grip.
   2. A grip that kills.
      • The wolf held the chicken in a death grip until it stopped moving.
   3. (slang) A tight grip on the penis during masturbation.
2. A perilous situation or stalemate where failure or death is imminent.
   • The armies came together in a death grip at the bottom of the valley.