Physically awkward, especially with respect to the hands, as in When it comes to knitting, Mary is all thumbs. The notion of this idiom derives from a proverb in John Heywood's collection of 1546: "When he should get aught, each finger is a thumb."
all thumbs
| Idioms: all thumbs |
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 | thumb (Idiom) |
| Jack Mullaney (Actor, Comedy/Drama) |
| The Evictors (1979 Horror Film) |
Help us answer these
 | Do all monkeys have apposable thumbs? |
| Thumbs up all round? |
| How do you make a sentence with the word all thumbs? |
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 | Idioms. The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
Related answers
- What all species have opposable thumbs?
- What is the meaning of the phrase 'all thumbs'?
- Do all primates have opposable thumbs?
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Answer these
- Which is attached to the thumb at all times is it the thumb or the ulna?
- What is the origin of all thumbs?
- What is the orgin of all thumbs?
Mentioned in
- thumb (Idiom)
- Jack Mullaney (Actor, Comedy/Drama)
- The Evictors (1979 Horror Film)
- The Wrecking Crew (1968 Action Film)
- Middle Road (2000 Album by Aziz)
- Tim Keegan (Rock Artist, '90s, 2000s)
- all (Idiom)
- Murphy's Law (word origin: 1958)
- Your Kind Words (2007 Album by Rich Schroder)
- Home Improvement (1991 Comedy TV Series)
- Season 03: Home Improvement (TV Episode) (1993 Comedy TV Episode)
- No Rewind (August of MRW44) (2001 Album by Various Artists)
- Thumbs Carllile (Country Artist, '50s-'80s)
- Eating Greens, for orchestra (Classical Work)
