shoehorning
Squeezing something in
Shoehorning is forcing something into a space or category where it doesn't quite fit.
The image comes from the tool used to squeeze a foot into a tight shoe.
You might shoehorn a meeting into an already packed schedule, or shoehorn an irrelevant point into an argument: He kept shoehorning references to his book into every conversation.
The word implies awkwardness or strain—the thing being inserted doesn't belong naturally.
Intensive last-minute study
- squeezingPressing inward firmly
- wedgingForcing into tight space
- jammingBlocking or wedging forcefully
- stuffingSeasoned mixture for cavities
pressing · coercion · imposition · bulldozing · steamrolling · arm-twisting · manipulation · pressure
Made narrower by pressure
- crampedUncomfortably lacking space
- snugComfortably close-fitting
- compressedReduced by pressure
- pinchedStole or squeezed tightly
confined · restricted · narrow · binding · straining · packed · overstuffed · overcrowded
Not suitable or fitting
- unsuitableNot fitting or appropriate
- ill-fittingNot the right size
- incongruousNot fitting together harmoniously
- incompatibleUnable to exist together
mismatched · awkward · forced · contrived · out-of-place · ill-suited · inapt · jarring
cramming
Intensive last-minute study
stuffing · pressing · coercion · imposition · bulldozing · steamrolling · arm-twisting · manipulation · pressure · procrustean
constricted
Made narrower by pressure
- crampedUncomfortably lacking space
- snugComfortably close-fitting
- compressedReduced by pressure
pinched · confined · restricted · narrow · binding · straining · packed · overstuffed · overcrowded · bursting
inappropriate
Not suitable or fitting
- unsuitableNot fitting or appropriate
- ill-fittingNot the right size
- incongruousNot fitting together harmoniously
incompatible · mismatched · awkward · forced · contrived · out-of-place · ill-suited · inapt · jarring · discordant
shoehorningbelonging
State of fitting in
fitting in · harmonizing · meshing · dovetailing · suiting
shoehorningomitting
Failing to include
excluding · leaving out · editing out · cutting · trimming
horn, shoe, shoelace, shoemaker, overshoe, snowshoe, shoehorn, shoehorns, shoehorned