ENGLISH
REFERENCE

all fingers and thumbs

idiom
Meaning

Of a person, clumsy or awkward.


Examples
SIMPLE

I am all fingers and thumbs when I try to sew.

CONTEXTUAL

I felt all fingers and thumbs while trying to wrap the delicate gift in front of my boss.

COMPLEX

Despite his years of experience as a surgeon, he felt all fingers and thumbs as he attempted to tie the tiny, intricate knot.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    all thumbs

    Clumsy; awkward; not dextrous.

  2. 02

    burn one's fingers

    To harm oneself; to suffer consequences of one's actions.

  3. 03

    get one's fingers burnt

    To suffer relatively minor, adversive, and unexpected harm.

  4. 04

    green fingers

    A seemingly natural gardening ability.

  5. 05

    have one's fingers in many pies

    To be involved in many, or too many, different things.

  6. 06

    in the snap of one's fingers

    In a snap.

  7. 07

    keep one's fingers crossed

    To hope for the best, to show support.

  8. 08

    point fingers

    To accuse people of being responsible for something bad.

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