fat-finger

[fat-fing-ger]

adjective

1. noting or pertaining to errors made by hitting the wrong key or button on a keyboard, keypad, or number pad.

   fat-finger dialing errors;

   a large number of typos evidencing the fat-finger syndrome.

verb (used with object)

1. to make an error in or on (something) by hitting the wrong key or button.

   I must have fat-fingered my username.

   You can easily fat-finger the tiny keyboard on this device.

fat-finger

verb

1. to make a mistake by pressing the wrong key on a keyboard or number pad

2. to make an error that causes further problems

Word History and Origins

Origin of fat-finger¹

First recorded in 2000–05; so called from using the thumb to type, or accidentally hitting two keys with one finger

Example Sentences

This technical glitch came a day after a fat-finger incident in China's financial futures market.

Read more on Reuters

It won’t necessarily mean the end of fat-finger flubs, unfortunate typos, customer-service spats gone wrong or covfefe-size head-scratchers, but it could save politicians, executives and the rest of us from serious embarrassment.

Read more on New York Times

These sorts of so-called “fat-finger errors” are well-known in the world of finance.

Read more on The Verge

While fat-finger errors can spark sharp swings in traditional markets, they are uniquely problematic in the crypto world, since blockchain transactions are supposedly irreversible.

Read more on Washington Post

“Even AARP’s service number has a fat-finger version.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times