all thumbs

1. Clumsy or awkward: “Where plumbing is concerned, Walter is all thumbs.”

Idioms and Phrases

Physically awkward, especially with respect to the hands, as in When it comes to knitting, Mary is all thumbs. The notion of this idiom derives from a proverb in John Heywood's collection of 1546: “When he should get aught, each finger is a thumb.”

Related Words

• bulky 
• heavy-handed 
• inept 
• ponderous 
• ungainly 
• unwieldy