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.”

Example Sentences

Well, I’ve faced the matinee crowds on the West End and lived to tell about it, but I’m all thumbs in the kitchen.

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“I asked J.P. for a scouting report on Frazier as a shortstop and he was all thumbs up, saying he could handle it,” Servais said.

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All that talk last week about the broken toe of Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and yet in this game, the Rams were all thumbs.

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To the behind-the-scenes camera, Graham ably sums up his approach; in front of McDowell he’s the verbal equivalent of all thumbs: “My brand statement is ... I’m really here to explore ... creating a narrative-driven home shopping experience,” he explains.

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“He feels really good. He had the surgery done out in L.A. He’ll stay out there a few days to start his rehab out there before he transitions back to Seattle and we get him up and going. But it’s all positive, all thumbs up there. Again, no timetable when Kyle is going to be ready to go back on the field, but he’s happy with where it’s at, knowing that there has been some clarity and now he just needs to rehab it to get out there.”

Read more on Seattle Times

Related Words

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