ooch

Verb (1)

ooch (third-person singular simple present ooches, present participle ooching, simple past and past participle ooched)

1. (also, informal, reflexive, transitive) To move or slide (oneself or someone, or something) by a small amount.
   • I ooched my car forward. In Dallas, tailgaiting is an art. You have to protect your place in traffic, or some yahoo will sneak in before you. So you have to drive two inches away from the bumper in front of you.2001 June, Chloe Green [pseudonym; Suzanne Frank], chapter 1, in Designed to Die, New York, N.Y.: Kensington Books, →ISBN, page 3
   • It was Stephen yet not Stephen whose calloused hand was rubbing her thigh; her skirt was ooched up around her hips – she was on guard as was her habit in those days.2002, Chip Martin, chapter 2, in The End of the Road: An Anglo-Californian Romance, London: Starhaven, →ISBN, book 2 (Destiny’s Darling), page 137
2. (also, figuratively, informal, reflexive, transitive) To cause (oneself or someone, or something) to change or progress by a small amount or in small increments.
   • An oocher, according to the The Encyclopedia Erratica, is a motorist who persists in ooching his speed to 35-miles-an-hour in a 30-mile zone. He also is the guy who insists on ooching another drink after the bars close.1953, Buildings, volume 53, Cedar Rapids, Iowa: Stamats Publishing Company, →OCLC, page 29, column 1
   • The credit card is inflationary (merchants must be expected to ooch prices a bit to compensate for their kickbacks to the banks), even though it is responsible for only 2% of today's $98.2 billion in consumer debt.1970 March 27, Paul O’Neil, “A Little Gift from Your Friendly Banker”, in Ralph Graves, editor, Life, volume 68, number 11, Chicago, Ill.; New York, N.Y.: Time Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 58, column 3
3. (figuratively, informal, transitive) To force (someone or something) to move without noticeable disruption or opposition; to nudge.
   • There is one man I haven't mentioned, who quietly, without any ostentation at all, circulated among all the thousands of boys and girls, who had been "ooched" out of Johnsville when the guards were arrested, a fellow by the name of Rifkin.1943 October 26, Frederick Riebel, Jr., witness, “Testimony of Frederick Riebel, Jr., Ex-President, Brewster Aeronautical Corporation; Production Consultant, Material Group, Production Division...
   • This was a high-class white neighborhood in those days, before the colored ooched them out.1977, Shelby Foote, “What Went Down”, in September September, New York, N.Y.; Toronto, Ont.: Random House, →ISBN, page 204
4. (informal, intransitive) To move or slide by a small amount; to scooch, to scoot.
   • She didn't really pull away, just ooched over a little, leaving two or three inches between us—and I liked her better for it.1963, Ralph Moody, “Judy’s Story”, in The Dry Divide, New York, N.Y.: W[illiam] W[arder] Norton & Company, →OCLC, page 45
   • All a guy has to do is yank on a T-shirt or a sweatshirt or something and he's done. No wires to pinch, no straps to slip, no overflow ooching over the sides or between the zipper that refuses to close unless you lie flat on your back and give up breathing.2004 November, Karen Templeton, chapter 5, in Hanging by a Thread, Don Mills, Ont.: Red Dress Ink, →ISBN, page 81
5. (informal, intransitive) To move around in a restricted or small space; to squeeze, to squirm.
   • I still got sand stuck between my toes. I can feel it ooching around down there.1983, P. J. Petersen, chapter 10, in The Boll Weevil Express […], New York, N.Y.: Delacorte Press, →ISBN, page 117
   • Yes, Mr. Porter is ooching in his chair because we think you're dead wrong on that.1986, Connelly, chairman, Public Hearings: Nursing Home Preadmission Screening—Program or Promise?: Transcript […], Sacramento, Calif.: Subcommittee on Long-term Care, Special Committee on Medi-Cal...
6. (figuratively, informal, intransitive) To change or progress by a small amount or in small increments; to nudge.
   • I mean, come on, unemployment is down for 3 straight months, and that's a good thing. In fact, unemployment claims, even they ooched up a tiny bit now, are for the last 3 or 4 months at all-time lows, which is encouraging in terms of what it says about the fundamentals of this economy.1992 October 29, George Herbert Walker Bush, “Remarks to the South Wayne County Chamber of Commerce in Southgate, Michigan”, in Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, volume 28, number 44...
   • We have often found that after a short period of "ooching" our way into a new venture, we need to change strategies and goals to take advantage of the new opportunities and markets that present themselves.1996, James Truchard, InTech: The International Journal for Measurement and Control, volume 43, Research Triangle Park, N.C.: Instrument Society of America, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 67, column 2
7. (figuratively, informal, intransitive) To force to move without noticeable disruption or opposition.
   • From what General Slate said, Prettyboy will just get ooched out of Fort Murray and shipped to some nice restful post in Alaska.1960, Don Tracy, Deadly to Bed (Permabooks; M4176), New York, N.Y.: Pocket Books, →OCLC, page 174
8. (informal, intransitive) To propel a boat or sailboard by rocking one's body back and forth.
   • But if you are racing a boat without a chute, especially a single-hander, ooching is usually more effective.1977, Yacht Racing, volume 16, Chicago, Ill.: One-Design Yachtsman, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 46, column 2
   • Ooching involves the lower haIf of the body and the board. By pushing the board back and forth in small places, by minimal extension and retraction of the knees, the planing condition can be induced or enhanced.1985, Sail Boarder International, volume 5, number 4, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.: Surfer Publishing Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 75

Noun (1)

ooch (plural ooches)

1. (informal) A small amount by which something has changed or moved.
   • "The credit card is inflationary (merchants must be expected to ooch prices a bit to compensate for their kickbacks to the banks)." My question: How much is an "ooch"? Also, as I am one of the benighted ones who cut up and junked the card, shouldn't I be entitled to an "ooch" discount on a cash...1970 April 17, Robert N. Hood, “Letters to the Editors: Credit Cards”, in Ralph Graves, editor, Life, volume 68, number 14, Chicago, Ill.; New York, N.Y.: Time Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 27, columns 1–2

   Synonyms:

   scooch, skoosh, skosh, ace, atom, thought, atomy, aught, bissel, continental

2. (figuratively, informal) A small change or small amount of progress.
   • To prevent those mistakes from becoming corporate failures, we have created what we call the "ooch approach."1996, InTech: The International Journal for Measurement and Control, volume 43, Research Triangle Park, N.C.: Instrument Society of America, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 35
   • ‘Ooch’ by ooch, row by row [letter title] […] "We used what I call the ‘ooch’ approach for getting the business going," says Truchard. To "ooch" things means to sort of inch them along, taking small, incremental steps, while avoiding unnecessary risks, he explains.2002, James Truchard, quotee, “Electronic Business”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), volume 28, Highland Ranch, Colo.: Cahners Publishing Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 44, column 3
3. (informal) An act of propelling a boat or sailboard forward by rocking one's body.
   • Presumably, this means that one may ooch only to initiate surfing or planing and that, if challenged, one must be prepared to defend one's ooching behavior in light of the conditions and the wave pattern. Potential problems: How many ooches are permitted per wave?1975, Yachting, volume 138, page 154
   • I suspect it will take an ooch or two on the boom to get the upper batten to clear.1999 June, Chuck Paine, “Design”, in Yachting, volume 185, number 6, page 56

Interjection

1. (informal) A cry of discomfort or pain: ouch.
   • My mother must have whipped me for almost half an hour, even though it seemed like eternity. […] "Ooch, mama; ooch, mama; ooch, mama; I promise not to do this anymore!" / "I know you won't, believe me; you won't!" / "Ooch, mama; ooch, mama; ooch, mama; you are killing me!"2000, Marva L. Dowdin, chapter 7, in The Blue Wall, Lincoln, Neb.: Writers Club Press, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 123
   • Now tell the children to walk around the room as though they were walking on hot, hot sand. They will want to lift their feet off the floor as quickly as they can because the sand will burn their feet. It adds to the fun to include an "ooch" or an "ouch" to the activity to give them the idea.2004, Nina Czitrom, Take a Bow! Lesson Plans for Preschool Drama (Smith and Kraus Instructional Books for Teachers), Hanover, N.H.: Smith and Kraus, →ISBN, page 12

Noun (2)

ooch (plural ooches)

1. (informal) Something that causes discomfort or pain; an ouch.
   • I had my toe redressed wiv bandage, gauze and plasters. I could tell you how Dr (Simon) Costain plucked the bits of old gauze out of my toe wiv tweezers. Dat's an ooch.2004, Andrew Collins, “Diary, 1979”, in Where Did It All Go Right?: Growing Up Normal in the 70s, London: Ebury Press, →ISBN, page 237
   • Try being the operative word – she managed two hops before the heels got the better of her, and she overbalanced, losing her balance and landing on her hands and knees. "That's an ooch," Heidi said as Natalie looked up at her. "That's a double ooch," Cindy added as they watched her pull herself...2014, Kev Pickering, Heidi’s World, Morrisville, N.C.: Lulu.com, →ISBN

Verb (2)

ooch (third-person singular simple present ooches, present participle ooching, simple past and past participle ooched)

1. (informal, intransitive) To cry out in discomfort or pain; to ouch.
   • Maybe he was trying to make up for all those crawdads, laughing at her ooching and owwing in that sticker patch.1993 September, Debra Franklin, chapter 1, in Blood Pact (Scream; 1), New York, N.Y.: Z*Fave Books, Kensington Publishing Corp., →ISBN, page 29
   • As Snow-Rose was led away to a prison cell to await her death at dawn, she made signs that she wanted her bundle of sewing. The prison warder brought it—ooching and ouching—flung it in after her, and went away, sucking his stinging fingers.2003, Geraldine McCaughrean, Sophy Williams, “The Thirteenth Child”, in Oxford Treasury of Fairy Tales, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 141