put one's finger on
Idioms-
Also, lay one's finger on.
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Identify, as in I can't put my finger on the man in that photo . [Late 1800s]
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See lay a finger on .
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s hard to put one’s finger on the cultural significance of Carlson’s conniption or Mars Wrigley’s retreat.
From Los Angeles Times
It’s hard to put one’s finger on it exactly.
From Science Magazine
One can’t quite put one’s finger on the changes: nothing radical or vulgar you understand, just aggressive tweaking: new carpeting, upholstery, lighting and fabrics.
From New York Times
But in a way that was a little hard to put one’s finger on, something felt a little off.
From Los Angeles Times
Posner is trying something different, it seems, with his latest Shakespeare production for the Folger, “The Winter’s Tale,” and what that constitutes is hard to put one’s finger on — and harder to like.
From Washington Post
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.
