the.com/pincushion
A small cushion whose entire job is being stabbed and never complaining.
means A small stuffed cushion used for storing pins by sticking them into it until needed.
from Straightforward compound of 'pin' and 'cushion,' dating to around the 16th-17th century — pins were once valuable, hand-forged items, so having a dedicated soft object to hold them safely (points in, heads out) was practical household sense, not whimsy. The word has since wandered into figurative use for anyone or anything repeatedly jabbed, poked, or criticized.
- origin
- popular in 1600s sewing boxes
- idiom use
- means riddled with holes or criticism
- material irony
- soft so metal pins stay sharp
- tomato shape
- classic design was a stuffed red tomato