Pinch Me

"Pinch me" is an idiom expressing disbelief or a desire to confirm that a situation is real and not a dream. It's typically uttered when experiencing something overwhelmingly positive, surprising, or seemingly too good to be true. The underlying logic is that a pinch causes pain, and pain is a sign of physical reality, thus dispelling the notion of a dream or hallucination.

The phrase implies a sense of wonder and sometimes a degree of unworthiness or astonishment at the speaker's perceived good fortune. It can also convey a feeling of vulnerability, as if the speaker fears the positive situation will suddenly disappear.

The expression's origin is not definitively known, but it's likely tied to the common belief that one cannot feel pain in a dream. Pinching oneself has long been a folk remedy for waking up from nightmares or testing reality in a questionable situation. The popularization of the specific phrase "pinch me" likely occurred sometime in the 20th century and has since become a widely recognized and understood idiom in English-speaking cultures.