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lady's-thumb

American  
[ley-deez-thuhm] / ˈleɪ dizˌθʌm /

noun

  1. a smartweed, Polygonum persicaria, of the buckwheat family, having pink or purplish flowers and lance-shaped leaves with a spot resembling a thumbprint.

lady's-thumb British  

noun

  1. the usual US name for red shank

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of lady's-thumb

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.