thumb.html - See: ALL THUMBS, GREEN THUMB, TURN THUMBS DOWN, TWIDDLE ONE'S THUMBS, UNDER ONE'S THUMB or UNDER THE THUMB OF.

thumb.html - {v. phr.}, {informal} To get a ride by hitchhiking; hitchhike. * /Not having much money, Carl decided to thumb a ride to New York./

thumb.html - {v. phr.} 1. To hold one's open hand in front of one's face with one's thumb pointed at one's nose as a sign of scorn or dislike. * /After Bob ran into the house he thumbed his nose at Tom through the window./ 2. {informal} To look with disfavor or dislike; regard with scorn; refuse to obey. - Used with "at". * /Betty thumbed her nose at her mother's command to stay home./ * /Mary thumbed her nose at convention by wearing odd clothes./ Compare: LOOK DOWN ON.

thumb.html - {v. phr.} To examine superficially; read cursorily. * /I have read "War and Peace" but Fran has only thumbed through it./

thumb.html - n. & v.
--n.

1 a a short thick terminal projection on the human hand, set lower and apart from the other four and opposable to them. b a digit of other animals corresponding to this.
2 part of a glove etc. for a thumb.

--v.

1 tr. wear or soil (pages etc.) with a thumb (a well-thumbed book).
2 intr. turn over pages with or as with a thumb (thumbed through the directory).
3 tr. request or obtain (a lift in a passing vehicle) by signalling with a raised thumb.
4 tr. use the thumb in a gesture.

be all thumbs be clumsy with one's hands. thumb index n. a set of lettered grooves cut down the side of a diary, dictionary, etc. for easy reference.

--v.

tr. provide (a book etc.) with these. thumb one's nose = cock a snook (see SNOOK(1) )). thumb-nut a nut shaped for turning with the thumb and forefinger. thumbs down an indication of rejection or failure. thumbs up an indication of satisfaction or approval. under a person's thumb completely dominated by a person.

thumbed adj. (also in comb.). thumbless adj. [OE thuma f. a WG root = swell]

thumb.html - n.
1 the nail of a thumb.
2 (attrib.) denoting conciseness (a thumbnail sketch).