# all thumbs

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/all-thumbs
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Clumsy; awkward; not dextrous.

## Examples

- I'm all thumbs today and keep dropping things.
- He tried to fix the watch but was all thumbs and made it worse.
- The nervous apprentice, usually skilled with delicate instruments, became all thumbs the moment the master craftsman entered the workshop.

## Origin

Derived from the sixteenth-century proverb "when he should get aught, each finger is a thumb." The expression was recorded in John Heywood’s Collection of 1546, describing a specific anatomical redundancy that renders one entirely incapable of grasping the matter at hand.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.