fat finger
A supposed cause of typographical errors, especially keyboard errors, caused from erroneous key presses or typing errors on touchscreen devices.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“I made a fat finger error and sent the wrong message.”
“Be careful not to fat finger the wrong number on your phone.”
“I meant to type five dollars, but a fat finger mistake made it fifty instead.”
“I accidentally fat fingered the delete button while I was trying to save my progress on the report.”
“The customer service agent apologized for the fat finger typo that listed my address in the wrong city.”
“The trader blamed a fat finger for the accidental order that caused a brief fluctuation in the stock market.”
The term arises from the mechanical difficulty of using a finger of excessive girth to strike a single key. The physical width of the digit causes it to overlap onto adjacent buttons, resulting in the accidental input of unintended characters. While the visual image suggests a specific anatomical cause, the expression has persisted as a general shorthand for any such clerical error committed during typing.
- 01
all fingers and thumbs
Of a person, clumsy or awkward.
- 02
big fat
Complete, utter, total.
- 03
burn one's fingers
To harm oneself; to suffer consequences of one's actions.
- 04
crack a fat
To get an erection of the penis.
- 05
fat chance
Little or no chance, a low or nonexistent likelihood of occurrence or success; a faint chance.
- 06
fat lip
A swelling on the lip, especially one resulting from a punch or other blow.
- 07
fat of the land
The greatest part of anything; the finest and most abundant share of resources; the cream of the crop.
- 08
finger in the pie
A share in the doing of something; involvement.
Last updated August 10, 2026