A thumb is the short thick digit that is attached to the hand. Humans have four fingers and one thumb on each hand. The plural is ‘thumbs’.

 

FUN FACT – When pronouncing the word ‘thumb’, just remember…the ‘b’ is silent. We have lots of silent letters in English.

idiomatic expressions with body parts - thumb

thumb idioms list

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

all fingers and thumbs

meaning – a clumsy person
example – Don’t pass the ball to Hannah, she’s all fingers and thumbs.

common body idioms and expressions (THUMB) list in English - all fingers and thumbs meaning

rule of thumb

meaning – a basic rule that isn’t always followed
example – A rule of thumb is 300 grams per person.

common body idioms and expressions (THUMB) list in English - rule of thumb

stick out like a sore thumb

meaning – be very obvious
example – Don’t wear fancy dress costume to a black-tie event. You’ll stick out like a sore thumb.

thumbs down

meaning – a sign of disapproval/rejection
example – The manager gave the thumbs down to my new marketing idea.

thumbs down meaning

thumbs up

meaning – a gesture of approval
example – My mum gave me the thumbs up when she met my hunky boyfriend.

common body idioms and expressions (THUMB) list in English - thumbs up meaning

twiddle one’s thumbs

meaning – be bored/have nothing to do
example – It poured down all weekend, so I just stayed in and twiddled my thumbs.

twiddle one’s thumbs meaning

under the thumb

meaning – under the complete control of another person
example – My boss is completely under my thumb. if I ask for a pay rise, I’ll get one.

common body idioms and expressions (THUMB) list in English - under the thumb meaning

You can download a table of ‘thumb’ 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.