A finger is one of the four long thin joints that are attached to the hand. The plural is ‘fingers’.

HOT TIP – The remaining digit is called a ‘thumb‘ (with a silent ‘b’), which also has some idioms too.

finger idioms list

Let’s look at some popular body idioms that contain the word ‘finger’.

  • all fingers and thumbs
    meaning – a clumsy person
    example – Don’t pass the ball to Hannah, she’s all fingers and thumbs.
  • five-finger discount
    meaning – shoplifting, stealing
    example – Do you like my new shoes? I got them with my five-finger discount.
  • have green fingers/green fingered
    meaning – good at gardening
    example – My nan was green fingered. I must get it from her.
  • have one’s fingers in lots of pies
    meaning – be involved in many different things
    example – She does yoga, Pilates, running and karate. That woman has her fingers in lots of pies.
  • keep one’s fingers crossed
    meaning – hope for good luck/a good outcome
    example – Good luck with your driving test tomorrow. I’ve got my fingers crossed for you.
  • not lift a finger
    meaning – do nothing to help
    example – My teenagers don’t lift a finger around the house. I’m fed up of being treated like a slave.
  • point the finger
    meaning – accuse/blame someone
    example – Someone stole money from my desk. I don’t want to point the finger, but I think it was Katy.
  • pull one’s finger out
    meaning – stop wasting time and start working/concentrating
    example – Logan has pulled his finger out and is working to support his child.
  • put one’s finger on something
    meaning – identify something
    example – I can’t put my finger on which employee is stealing from me. I’ve narrowed to down to 3.
  • sticky fingers
    meaning – a tendency to steal things
    example – Don’t leave your bag lying around. I bet the people who drink here have sticky fingers.
  • work one’s fingers to the bone
    meaning – work very hard
    example – My dad worked his fingers to the bone then dies a week after he retired.
  • wrap around one’s little finger
    meaning – have complete control over somebody
    example – I caught my teacher doing something wrong. Now, he’s wrapped around my little finger.

finger idioms list with pictures

Here’s some real life picture examples.

idiomatic expressions with body parts - finger
common body idioms (finger) - all fingers and thumbs meaning
common body idioms (finger) - five-finger discount meaing
finger idioms and eapressions in English- have green fingers
finger idioms - have one's fingers in lots of pies
finger idioms list - keep one’s fingers crossed meaning
finger idioms in English - not lift a finger
finger idioms list - point the finger
finger idioms list - pull one’s finger out
common body idioms (finger) - put one’s finger on something meaning
common body idioms (finger) - sticky fingers meaning
common body idioms (finger)- work one’s fingers to the bone meaning
finger idioms in Emglish - wrap around one’s little finger

You can download a table of ‘finger’ idioms and expressions below.

If you’ve enjoyed this page, don’t forget to check out some more body idioms by clicking on the links below.