all thumbs

Cultural  

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

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all thumbs Idioms  

1. 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.”

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

all thumbs

“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.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 15, 2022

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 28, 2021

But when personnel moves aren’t front and center, the show’s kid gloves become all thumbs.

From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2019

"I just got the final inspections: health, fire, the liquor board, all thumbs up."

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 16, 2011

Lies, who’s all thumbs, gets lost in the mayhem.

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

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Related Words

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

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