Literal translation
to make the pinch
Meaning
to throw in a little extra for free
Explanation
To throw in a bit extra for free, said of a shopkeeper who, after weighing the goods and setting the price, adds a little more to please a regular customer. A pessu, literally, is a pinch, and figuratively a small amount. It is a living tradition on Provençal markets, known for good-natured generosity: free parsley, an extra apricot or sardine tossed into the bag. In regional French, pessu also names any small pinchable object, like a pressure cooker's valve.