wag a finger
To express one's annoyance with, or disapproval of, someone's actions.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“My teacher likes to wag a finger when we talk too much.”
“When the toddler reached for the hot stove, his mother had to wag a finger to warn him.”
“The stern manager did not hesitate to wag a finger at the team, making it clear that their recent lack of effort was unacceptable.”
- 01
all fingers and thumbs
Of a person, clumsy or awkward.
- 02
burn one's fingers
To harm oneself; to suffer consequences of one's actions.
- 03
fat finger
A supposed cause of typographical errors, especially keyboard errors, caused from erroneous key presses or typing errors on touchscreen devices.
- 04
finger in the pie
A share in the doing of something; involvement.
- 05
finger to the wind
An attention to or focus on or awareness of current or prevailing trends, public opinion, or shifting circumstances.
- 06
fucked by the fickle finger of fate
Victimized by bad luck.
- 07
get one's finger out
To proceed with the matter in hand.
- 08
get one's fingers burnt
To suffer relatively minor, adversive, and unexpected harm.
Last updated August 10, 2026