green thumb

American  

noun

1. an exceptional aptitude for gardening or for growing plants successfully.

   Houseplants provide much pleasure for the city dweller with a green thumb.

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green thumb British  

noun

1. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): green fingers.  considerable talent or ability to grow plants

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green thumb Cultural  

1. A knack for growing plants and keeping them healthy: “All my houseplants are in sorry shape; it's clear I don't have a green thumb.”

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green thumb Idioms  

1. A knack for making plants grow well, as in Just look at Louise's plants—she really has a green thumb. This term presumably alludes to the stained fingers of an avid gardener. [First half of 1900s]

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Other Word Forms

• green-thumbed adjective
• green-thumber noun

Etymology

Origin of green thumb

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

I haven’t perfected my green thumb, but I’m working on it.

From Los Angeles Times

Freddy Escobar stood on the sidewalk outside his former workplace waving a green thumb drive and a stack of papers that he said would clear his name.

From Los Angeles Times

But my green thumb ached as workers sawed down the tree, took away everything — trunk, twigs, leaves, fruit, roots — in biohazard bags and tagged the remaining trees with a bill of clean health.

From Los Angeles Times

He was happy to leave the plant decisions to Solberg, the green thumb of the family.

From Los Angeles Times

His maternal grandmother was gifted with plant caregiving, and his mother was an “incredible grower” with an expert green thumb.

From Los Angeles Times