a joint that holds two parts together so that one can swing relative to the other
<noun.artifact>
a circumstance upon which subsequent events depend
<noun.state> his absence is the hinge of our plan [ verb ]
attach with a hinge
<verb.contact>
Hinge \Hinge\, n. [OE. henge, heeng; akin to D. heng, LG. henge, Prov. E. hingle a small hinge; connected with hang, v., and Icel. hengja to hang. See {Hang}.] 1. The hook with its eye, or the joint, on which a door, gate, lid, etc., turns or swings; a flexible piece, as a strip of leather, which serves as a joint to turn on.
The gate self-opened wide, On golden hinges turning. --Milton.
2. That on which anything turns or depends; a governing principle; a cardinal point or rule; as, this argument was the hinge on which the question turned.
3. One of the four cardinal points, east, west, north, or south. [R.]
When the moon is in the hinge at East. --Creech.
Nor slept the winds . . . but rushed abroad. --Milton.
{Hinge joint}. (a) (Anat.) See {Ginglymus}. (b) (Mech.) Any joint resembling a hinge, by which two pieces are connected so as to permit relative turning in one plane.
{To be off the hinges}, to be in a state of disorder or irregularity; to have lost proper adjustment. --Tillotson.
Hinge \Hinge\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Hinged}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Hinging}.] 1. To attach by, or furnish with, hinges.
2. To bend. [Obs.] --Shak.
Hinge \Hinge\, v. i. To stand, depend, hang, or turn, as on a hinge; to depend chiefly for a result or decision or for force and validity; -- usually with on or upon; as, the argument hinges on this point. --I. Taylor
Amid the growing confusion, the balance of Mr. Reagan's presidency may hinge on the answers to three main questions about the arms sales to Iran and the financing of Nicaraguan rebels.
But company officials have acknowledged that the plan's success may hinge on the health of the New England economy.
Rorer's ability to compete with Sanofi or other possible bidders for Robins could hinge on the role of Aetna Casualty & Surety Co., Robins's former insurer for Shield claims.
In that case, success would hinge on acceptance by Crownx, with a 14.7% Mercantile House stake.
For Boeing, survival as the industry leader will hinge on its ability to absorb such change.
The government's prospects hinge on its handling of a troubled economy.
In addition, the agency said it was looking into reports of rear-door hinge separation in Isuzu Troopers.
An administration official said a decision on when the delegation would leave Washington would hinge on the identification of the bodies.
It seems to hinge more on the season than the day.
Much now appears to hinge on court rulings, both on Mr. De Benedetti's complaint yesterday and on the earlier complaint, also brought by Mr. De Benedetti, protesting against the new Generale de Belgique share issue.
Commercial decisions hinge on Soviet behavior and on American politics, not on the marketplace.
Russell J. Melvin, an executive at the MPA who tracks international publishing developments, said these efforts "hinge on hope" that changes in the Soviet economic system will open the country to Western products and ideas.
That turnaround, however, will hinge on the sale of both National Intergroup aluminum and steel operations, he acknowledged.
Sky quoted unidentified U.S. sources as saying Western acceptance of the loss of the oil field, one of the largest in the region, would hinge on whether the Kuwaitis were prepared to give it up.
The United States is determined to go ahead but still has to persuade Kohl,whose chance for re-election next year may hinge on the missile issue in a country where disarmament forces are strong.
Democratic Party Chairman Ronald H. Brown said the party had nominated "a strong field of candidates" for November elections that he said will hinge largely on domestic issues mishandled by the GOP and the Bush administration.
But the profitability of the Whittle project may ultimately hinge on a reform that remains intensely controversial.
A major part of Mr. McKay's strategy, however, appears to hinge on obtaining testimony from individuals indicted in the New York case, in order to build a potential criminal case against Mr. Meese.
Rising living standards hinge on the ability to keep productivity increasing at a healthy rate.
For thousands of people around the world, any chance of becoming American citizens may hinge on whether they can master the nation's postal system.
Yet, western aid could hinge on the outcome of the escalating dispute between Ukraine and the US over the 176 Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles located on Ukrainian territory.
In the retailing business in particular, financially troubled companies' prospects hinge on their ability to keep getting shipments from suppliers.
Perhaps due to such protections, and the fact that tracing programs hinge on voluntary disclosure, the ACLU and other groups have yet to report any breaches of confidentiality involving tracing.
Most of the remaining applications, says a central bank official, hinge on finding private debt paper, a pool estimated to total $870 million.
That kind of thinking scandalizes professional investors, whose careers hinge on the concept that a person with superior judgment or information can outperform the market averages.
Tokyo said efforts to buttress flagging confidence hinge on lending-rate cuts for smaller firms, which projected even bleaker prospects for the current quarter.
The election will hinge on sharply different visions of Canada and its place in the world economy.
HUNGARY'S political stability and that of much of central Europe could hinge on the outcome of the congress of the ruling Hungarian Democratic Forum which begins today in Budapest.
Russell J. Melvin, an MPA executive who tracks international publishing developments, said these efforts "hinge on hope" that changes in the Soviet economic system will open the country to Western products and ideas.
Prospects for real development at Chavimochic are likely to hinge on the big investor who has the bucks to back the vision.