thumbs Idiom, Proverb

all thumbs

clumsy, unable to hold it, fingers feel like thumbs When I try to sew a button on my shirt, I'm all thumbs.

turn thumbs down

disapprove or reject, say no The building committee turned thumbs down on our plans to make the office larger.

turn thumbs down on

reject The other negotiating team turned thumbs down on our wish to postpone the meeting until tomorrow.

twiddle one's thumbs

Idiom(s): twiddle one's thumbs

Theme: TIME - WASTE

to fill up time by playing with one's fingers.
• What am I supposed to do while waiting for you? Sit here and twiddle my thumbs?
• Don't sit around twiddling your thumbs. Get busy!

turn thumbs up

Idiom(s): turn thumbs up (on sb or sth)

Theme: ACCEPTANCE

to accept someone or something; to approve someone or something.
• The board of directors turned thumbs up on my proposal and voted to fund the project.
• When the boss turned thumbs up, I knew everything was okay.
• The committee turned thumbs up on Carl as the new manager.

thumbs up on

Idiom(s): thumbs up on sb or sth

Theme: SUPPORT

in favor of someone or something.
• Bob is thumbs up on hiring Claude.
• I never hoped she'd agree with our plan, but she's totally thumbs up on it.

thumbs down on

Idiom(s): thumbs down on sb or sth

Theme: OPPOSITION

opposed to someone or something.
• Bob is thumbs down on hiring anyone else.
• I had hoped that she'd agree with our plan, but she's thumbs down on it.

All fingers and thumbs

If you're all fingers and thumbs, you are too excited or clumsy to do something properly that requires manual dexterity. 'All thumbs' is an alternative form of the idiom.

Fingers and thumbs

If you are all fingers and thumbs, you are being clumsy and not very skilled with your hands.

Thumbs down & thumbs up

If something gets the thumbs up, it gets approval, while the thumbs down means disapproval.

all thumbs|all|thumb|thumbs

adj., informal Awkward, especially with your hands; clumsy. Harry tried to fix the chair but he was all thumbs.

turn thumbs down|thumb|thumb down|thumbs|thumbs do

v. phr. To disapprove or reject; say no.

Usually used with "on". The company turned thumbs down on Mr. Smith's sales plan. The men turned thumbs down on a strike at that time.

twiddle one's thumbs|thumb|thumbs|twiddle

v. phr. To do nothing; be idle. I'd rather work than stand around here twiddling my thumbs.

thumbs up

thumbs up
An expression of approval or hopefulness, as in The town said thumbs up on building the elderly housing project. The antonym thumbs down indicates disapproval or rejection, as in Mother gave us thumbs down on serving beer at our party. Alluding to crowd signals used in Roman amphitheaters, these idioms were first recorded in English about 1600. In ancient times the meaning of the gestures was opposite that of today. Thumbs down indicated approval; thumbs up, rejection. Exactly when the reversal occurred is not known, but the present conventions were established by the early 1900s.

More Idioms/Phrases

throw up one's hands throw up to thumb thumb one's nose thumbnail sketch thumbs up thunder thus far tick tick off ticket tickle tickle the ivories