Squinch

   Heather recently wrote that she squinched as she tasted something that was not particularly pleasant.  I knew immediately what she meant even though I had never heard the word before and wondered, momentarily if it was an invention of hers.  It isn't Heather's invention; or if it is she's been lying about her age - it was first recorded in 1835.  It probably originated as a combination of the words squint and pinch.

As a verb it means to screw up one's face or eyes.

It also can mean to crouch down or squash oneself into a small space; to squeeze; to pinch; or to draw together. 

It is also a noun in which case it refersnot only to a screwed up face but also to a structure, such as a section of vaulting or corbeling, set diagonally across the interior angle between two walls to provide a transition from a square to a polygonal or more nearly circular base on which to construct a dome.

Photo  Attribution: Gurdjieff at en.wikipedia