thumb1 nounthumb2 verb
thumbthumb1 /θʌm/ ●●● S3 noun [countable] 
WORD ORIGINthumb1
Origin:
Old English thumaEXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
- As a rule of thumb, funds with durations of one to three years are relatively conservative.
- But it was plainly calculated as a thumb in the eye of the United States.
- I sat there and twiddled my thumbs.
- She put the mustache back and pressed it with her thumb.
- The third had a grotesquely enlarged thumb.
- Then he looked at Bill Wall, extending his hand with finger and thumb crooked.
- When constructing a footpath we follow rules of thumb.
Longman Language Activatordoing things in a careless and awkward way
someone who is clumsy does things in a careless way and often breaks things or has accidents: · I was so shy and clumsy when I was seventeen.· Andrew made a clumsy attempt to kiss her, but she pushed him away.· You clumsy idiot! Look what you've done to my car.
also be all fingers and thumbs British to have difficulty doing something with your hands, especially because you are in a hurry or feel nervous: · Can you sew this button on for me? I'm all fingers and thumbs this morning.go/become all fingers and thumbs: · I can't type at all when people are watching me. I go all fingers and thumbs.
someone who is accident-prone often has accidents or breaks things: · Lots of kids are accident-prone but they soon grow out of it.· Studies have shown women to be less accident-prone than men.
American informal someone who annoys you because they do things in a careless way and often break things or have accidents: · "Look what you've done, you silly klutz!" Nathan said angrily.· Tom's a real klutz when it comes to baseball - even if he hit the ball he'd trip on the way to first base.
when someone is different from other people to think or behave in a way that is unusual: · It's a small community and anyone who shows any signs of being different just isn't made to feel welcome.· For teenagers, it's important to speak and dress like their friends. They really don't want to be different.
someone who does not belong or does not fit in is so different that people do not like them, do not help them to become one of the group etc: · From the moment she first joined the company, Sally just didn't belong.· Until we learnt the language, we felt that we didn't fit in. But after that the people seemed to accept us.
if two people are on a different wavelength , they have very different ideas and attitudes from each other, with the result that they do not understand each other: · My dad doesn't understand me. He's on a completely different wavelength.· We'd been married for twenty years, but we just weren't on the same wavelength anymore.
to be very different from the people around you especially in the way you dress or look, so that people notice you and look at you: · You can't come to the restaurant dressed in jeans. You'd stick out like a sore thumb.
to be different from the other people in a group because you behave in a different way and have different ideas: · In my school, anyone who was out of sync was ignored or ridiculed.be out of step/sync with: · The Prime Minister has been criticized for being out of step with the British people.
when you have to do whatever someone tells you to do spoken say this when you feel you have to do whatever someone says, even if you disagree: · Personally, I don't like dark-coloured wallpaper, but you're the boss.· If he tells you to do something, you do it, no questions, because he's the boss.
to be so strongly influenced by someone so that they control you completely and you do anything that they want you to do: · The President, senators, and deputies are all under the thumb of the military.have somebody under your thumb: · It was widely known that the mafia had the union under their thumb.
if you are at someone's beck and call , they are always telling you to do things for them, and you always have to be ready to do things for them: · I have never liked to be at anybody's beck and call.· She was always rushing around at her mother's beck and call.
extremely obvious and impossible not to notice: unmistakable sight/sound/smell etc · The secretary of state said the measures are designed to send the regime a clear and unmistakable signal.· the unmistakable sounds of mariachi music
informal so obvious that it is impossible not to notice: · The reason she stopped smoking is perfectly obvious: she's pregnant.· a blindingly obvious mistake
if you say that a fact speaks for itself , you mean it shows that something is so obviously good or obviously bad that you do not need to tell people how good or bad it is: · The quality of our products speaks for itself.· The fact that so many parents refuse to send their children to the school speaks for itself.
formal facts, ideas etc that are self-evident are obvious and true, although some people may not accept them or know about them: · The facts in this case are self-evident and cannot be denied.· self-evident truthsit is self-evident that: · It is self-evident to most people that the government is under no obligation to finance the arts.
British informal you say it sticks or stands out a mile when you think that someone's character, feelings, or background are obvious: · I'm absolutely sure he's a retired army officer. It sticks out a mile.· You can see he's desperately jealous. It stands out a mile.
you say it sticks or stands out like a sore thumb when something looks very different from everything around it: · I'm not going to the party dressed like this - I'd stick out like a sore thumb.
you say that you only have to look at something, read something etc when you think something is so obvious that anybody will notice it: · You only have to look at Turner's later oil paintings to see what a genius he was.· You just have to look at family photos from that time to see that there was a lot of sadness and bitterness over my parents' divorce.
if you say that a fact or feeling is written all over someone's face you mean that you can see, just by looking at the expression on their face, that it is true: · You're in love with him. It's written all over your face.· When Joey opened the package and saw that it wasn't a fire engine, the disappointment was written all over his face.
you say you can't miss it when you are giving someone directions to a place that is very easy to find or notice: · Their house is on the left. It has a pink door. You can't miss it.
if something such as a solution to a problem is staring you in the face , it is very obvious - use this especially when someone does not notice or realize something even though it is very obvious: · The solution was staring me in the face.· The answer had been staring him in the face for months.
to officially reject a request or suggestion to use your official authority to formally refuse a request or suggestion: · Judge Gifford rejected the defense's request.· The immigration authorities have rejected his application for refugee status.· It was predicted that the Senate would reject the bill by about 60 to 40.
if a parliament, a council, or other official political organization throws out a plan or suggestion, they refuse to accept it or make it legal, especially after voting on it: throw out something: · Local councillors threw out proposals for the building of a new stadium.throw something out: · The House passed the bill, but the Senate threw it out.
to refuse to accept a request or to give someone permission to do something, especially when the request is a reasonable one: turn down something: · Their application to build a new extension has been turned down by the planning authority.turn something down: · We put in a request for a little extra time for us to finish the project, but the board turned it down.
to officially decide that someone cannot have something they have asked for, or cannot do something they want to do: refuse an application/request/demand etc: · Judge Eyck refused his request for bail.· Over 2,000 applications for political asylum were refused last year.refuse somebody something: · Under the law, doctors cannot refuse patients access to their own medical records.refuse something to somebody: · The city is refusing contracts to firms that do not practice an equal opportunities policy.
to officially refuse to accept a request, suggestion, or bad situation: · Employees have repeatedly requested child care facilities, but the company has always said no.say no to: · We're hoping the government will at last say no to low wages and poverty.
to refuse to accept a plan, proposal, or new law by voting: · The majority of union members voted against further industrial action.· Homeowners voted against new bonds and higher taxes.· Only Councilwoman Shirley Lanion voted no.vote no on something: · I urge you to vote no on Measure A.
to use your position of power to refuse to allow something to happen, especially something that other people, organizations, or countries have agreed: · European plans to deregulate air fares were vetoed by Spain.· Requests to take foster children abroad are often vetoed by the biological parent.· The governor vetoed a bill that would have given some much-needed money to public libraries.
also turn thumbs down on something American informal to reject a plan or suggestion: · The commission wisely gave the golf course proposal the thumbs down.· The city council turned thumbs down on Marison's new proposal, citing potential parking problems.
WORD SETSAB, nounabdomen, nounaccommodation, nounAchilles tendon, nounAdam's apple, nounadaptation, nounadenoids, nounadrenalin, nounairway, nounambidextrous, adjectiveanatomical, adjectiveankle, nounantibody, nounantigen, nounanus, nounanvil, nounaorta, nounappendix, nounarch, nounarmpit, nounarterial, adjectiveartery, nounatrium, nounbaby tooth, nounback, nounbackbone, nounbandy, adjectivebarrel-chested, adjectivebeat, verbbelly, nounbelly button, nounbicep, nounbig toe, nounbikini line, nounbile, nounbiological clock, nounbiorhythms, nounbiped, nounbladder, nounblind spot, nounblink, verbblink, nounblood count, nounblood group, nounblood pressure, nounbloodstream, nounblood type, nounblood vessel, nounBO, nounbody clock, nounbody odour, nounbone, nounbone marrow, nounbowel, nounbow legs, nounbrain, nounbrainwave, nounbreast, nounbreastbone, nounbristly, adjectivebronchial, adjectivebronchial tube, nounbrow, nounbuck teeth, nounbullnecked, adjectiveburp, verbbust, nounbuttock, nouncanine, nouncapillary, nouncardiac, adjectivecardio-, prefixcardiovascular, adjectivecarotid artery, nouncartilage, nouncentral nervous system, nouncerebellum, nouncerebral, adjectivecervical, adjectivecervix, nounchamber, nounchange of life, nouncheek, nouncheekbone, nounchest, nounchin, nouncirculation, nounclavicle, nouncleavage, nounclitoris, nounclose-set, adjectivecoccyx, nouncochlea, nouncock, nouncollarbone, nouncolon, nouncolour, nouncolour-blind, adjectiveconception, nouncone, nounconnective tissue, nouncoordination, nouncornea, nouncortex, nouncough, verbcough, nouncowlick, nouncranium, nouncrook, verbcrotch, nouncrow's feet, nouncrutch, nouncry, verbcuticle, noundandruff, noundeep-set, adjectivedefecate, verbdefence mechanism, noundental, adjectivedentine, nounderrière, noundiaphragm, noundigit, noundigital, adjectivedimple, noundisc, noundominant, adjectivedouble-jointed, adjectivedribble, verbdrool, verbduct, nounduodenum, nounear, nouneardrum, nounearhole, nounegg, nounejaculate, verbelbow, nounenamel, nounendocrine, adjectiveentrails, nounepidermis, nounepiglottis, nounerect, adjectiveerection, nounerogenous zone, nounexcrement, nounexcreta, nounexcrete, verbexcretion, nounexpectorate, verbextremity, nouneye, nouneyebrow, nouneyelash, nouneyelid, nouneyesight, nouneye tooth, nounface, nounfallopian tube, nounfart, verbfart, nounfemur, nounfibre, nounfibula, nounfigure, nounfingernail, nounfingertip, nounfist, nounfive o'clock shadow, nounflat-chested, adjectivefoetal position, nounfolic acid, nounfollicle, nounforearm, nounforefinger, nounforehead, nounforeskin, nounframe, nounfunny bone, noungall bladder, noungallstone, noungastric, adjectivegenital, adjectivegenitals, noungland, nounglottis, noungonad, noungrey matter, noungroin, nounG-spot, noungullet, noungum, nounhair, nounhairless, adjectivehairy, adjectivehammer, nounhamstring, nounhand, nounhand-eye co-ordination, nounhandlebar moustache, nounhead, nounheart, nounheel, nounhiccup, nounhiccup, verbhip, nounHomo sapiens, nounhumerus, nounhymen, nounimmune, adjectiveimmune system, nounimmunity, nouninbred, adjectiveincisor, nounindex finger, nouninherit, verbinstep, nounintestine, nounin vitro fertilization, nouniris, nounIVF, nounjaw, nounjawbone, nounjowl, nounkidney, nounknee, nounknee cap, nounknuckle, nounlap, nounlarge intestine, nounlarynx, nounlash, nounlaugh lines, nounlaughter lines, nounleft-handed, adjectivelefty, nounlens, nounlid, nounlifeblood, nounligament, nounlip, nounlittle finger, nounliver, nounlobe, nounlong-sighted, adjectivelumbar, adjectivelung, nounlymph, nounlymph node, nounmammary, adjectivemammary gland, nounmanual, adjectivemarrow, nounmasticate, verbmatrix, nounmelanin, nounmelatonin, nounmember, nounmenopause, nounmenses, nounmenstrual, adjectivemenstrual period, nounmenstruate, verbmiddle ear, nounmiddle finger, nounmidget, nounmidriff, nounmilk tooth, nounmind, nounmolar, nounmucous membrane, nounmuscle, nounnail, nounnape, nounnasal, adjectivenavel, nounnervous, adjectiveneurology, nounneuron, nounniacin, nounnipple, nounnode, nounnodule, nounnostril, nounocular, adjectiveoesophagus, nounoral, adjectiveovary, nounoverbite, nounoviduct, nounpalate, nounpalm, nounpalpitate, verbpalpitations, nounpancreas, nounpassage, nounpatella, nounpectorals, nounpelvic, adjectivepelvis, nounpenetrate, verbpepsin, nounperiod, nounperiod pain, nounperspiration, nounperspire, verbphallus, nounpharynx, nounphlegm, nounphysical, adjectivephysiognomy, nounphysiology, nounphysique, nounpigeon-toed, adjectivepit, nounpituitary, nounplacenta, nounplasma, nounplatelet, nounpore, nounpotbelly, nounpremenstrual, adjectiveprepubescent, adjectivepressure point, nounprimal, adjectiveprivate parts, nounprognathous, adjectiveprostate, nounpuberty, nounpubescent, adjectivepubic, adjectivepudendum, nounpulmonary, adjectivepulp, nounpulse, nounpupil, nounquad, nounquadruplet, nounquin, nounquintuplet, nounradius, nounreceptor, nounrecessive, adjectiverectal, adjectiverectum, nounred blood cell, nounREM sleep, nounrenal, adjectiveretina, nounRhesus factor, nounRH factor, nounrib, nounrib cage, nounright, adjectiveright-handed, adjectiveright-hander, nounrigor mortis, nounring finger, nounrod, nounRoman nose, nounround-shouldered, adjectiverun, verbsalivary gland, nounsallow, adjectivescalp, nounscaly, adjectivescapula, nounsciatic, adjectivescrotum, nounsemen, nounseminal, adjectivesense, nounsense organ, nounsensory, adjectivesextuplet, nounshank, nounshin, nounshinbone, nounshoulder, nounshoulder blade, nounside, nounsinew, nounsinus, nounskeletal, adjectiveskull, nounsleep, verbsleep, nounsmall intestine, nounsneeze, verbsneeze, nounsnub nose, nounsnub-nosed, adjectivesoft palate, nounsolar plexus, nounsole, nounsphincter, nounspinal, adjectivespinal column, nounspine, nounspit, verbspit, nounspittle, nounspleen, nounspotty, adjectivesputum, nounsternum, nounsteroid, nounstirrup, nounstomach, nounstool, nounstubble, nounsubcutaneous, adjectivesuck, verbsuckle, verbsuckling, nounsweat gland, nounsystem, nountailbone, nountan, verbtan, nountanned, adjectivetarsus, nountartar, nountaste bud, nountear, nounteardrop, nounteat, nountemple, nountendon, nountestes, nountesticle, nountestis, nountestosterone, nounthickset, adjectivethigh, nounthorax, nounthroat, nounthumb, nounthumbnail, nounthyroid, nountibia, nounticklish, adjectivetoe, nountoenail, nountongue, nountonsil, nountooth, nountorso, nountouch, nountrachea, nountriceps, nountrunk, nountympanum, nounulna, nounumbilical cord, nounurethra, nounuterus, nounuvula, nounvagina, nounvascular, adjectivevein, nounvenous, adjectiveventricle, nounvessel, nounvestibule, nounvital, adjectivevocal cords, nounvoice box, nounvulva, nounwaist, nounwall-eyed, adjectivewax, nounwhite, nounwhite blood cell, nounwindpipe, nounwisdom tooth, nounwomb, nounwrinkle, verbwrist, nounyawn, verbyawn, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY
The project was finally given the thumbs up. Her performance got the thumbs down from the critics.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES ‘Is that the only way out of here?’ he asked, jerking a thumb at the door.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
The project was finally given the thumbs up. Her performance got the thumbs down from the critics. ‘Is that the only way out of here?’ he asked, jerking a thumb at the door.· Instead, the friendly green thumbs at Tucson Botanical Gardens choose to throw open their gates for free.· She can help just about anyone grow a green thumb.· If you fetched the green, a thumb shot in the air.
· The F attachment can be switched in instantaneously by a valve operated by the left thumb.· But Jones missed 11 games at the start of the season with a torn ligament in his left thumb.
· First those of the right thumb.· Guard Malik Sealy had his fractured right thumb examined again and is expected to be out no more than two weeks.· The only other thing I remember catching was my right thumb.· As for the report, it says, in brief, that my right thumb and middle finger have been identified.· Most fetuses sucked their right thumb, with only 5.4% preferring their left.· Hussain's right thumb was broken by a rising delivery from Shoaib-the latest in a string of mishaps for him.
· I mean, it sticks out like a sore thumb.· For these reasons feminist values stand out like a sore thumb.· We stand out like sore thumbs.· There's no cover, and - as happened to me - any stranger sticks out like a sore thumb.· The box at Marske-in-Swaledale, which turns its blank stainless steel back to the main road, is a particularly sore thumb.· Having said that, in some of the bits of Shoreditch I passed through I stuck out like a sore thumb.· You stick out like a sore thumb in that ghastly uniform, Charles.
VERB· So he went at me, but I ducked and he hit the shelf - he broke his thumb in two places!· While he and a niece were playing, Jones suffered a broken left thumb.· Her bones were so fragile that she would break her thumb just by leaning on her walking stick.· As long as I don't break my thumb.
· The day began with confirmation of what the Clippers already knew: Sealy has a fractured thumb.· Guard Malik Sealy had his fractured right thumb examined again and is expected to be out no more than two weeks.· All of this was without a completely healthy Travis Knight, who is slowly recovering from a fractured left thumb.· Charles Oakley is out with a fractured thumb.
· He waved and grinned at her and jerked a thumb upwards.· The doctor jerked a thumb to the right.
· She was sucking her thumb so it came out very indistinctly.· When she brought it, he was sitting at his typewriter, sucking his damaged thumb.· Then he led her to his bed and let her sleep, childlike in her position as she sucked her thumb.· Most fetuses sucked their right thumb, with only 5.4% preferring their left.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRYPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1- She was all fingers and thumbs - and worry.
- But the docs just gave me the thumbs up.
- East Kilbride celebrates as tyre plant proposal given the thumbs down.
- I can see it now: In toga and laurel wreath, Big Al will give the thumbs up or thumbs down.
- In Grampian, 80 percent. of general practitioners gave it the thumbs down.
- London movie-goers gave Glengarry Glen Ross, about cut-throat estate agents, the thumbs up this week.
- The Dole campaign has not yet given the thumbs up, preferring to wait for the results of Super Tuesday.
- The question, which had been popped earlier on the stadium's electronic scoreboard, got the thumbs up.
- Top analysts gave it the thumbs up and prices took off.
- Meg's really got Darren under her thumb.
- He was showing her that she was under his thumb.
- Judges are under the thumb of the bureaucracy.
- She was all fingers and thumbs - and worry.
- You should tip bellmen $1- $2 per bag, as a rule of thumb.
- A good rule of thumb is to think of 30k as around the upper limit for a page.
- As a rule of thumb, funds with durations of one to three years are relatively conservative.
- Business development professionals often rely on simple rules of thumb to sort potential relationships and weed out unlikely partners.
- In general, the rule of thumb was that one's peers were seconded to perform the role.
- It was a place, Wade came to understand, where lost was a rule of thumb.
- Journalists have a rule of thumb: the more a person knows, the more that person can learn.
- The rule of thumb no longer mattered.
- When constructing a footpath we follow rules of thumb.
- You can't come to the restaurant dressed in jeans. You'd stick out like a sore thumb.
- For these reasons feminist values stand out like a sore thumb.
- Having a whole batch together should make an odd one stick out like a sore thumb.
- Having said that, in some of the bits of Shoreditch I passed through I stuck out like a sore thumb.
- I mean, it sticks out like a sore thumb.
- There's no cover, and - as happened to me - any stranger sticks out like a sore thumb.
- We stand out like sore thumbs.
- You stick out like a sore thumb in that ghastly uniform, Charles.
- I sat there and twiddled my thumbs.
- The rest of us could just sit and twiddle our thumbs and drink iced coffee.
- Till then, its quarry sat twiddling his thumbs and not quite smirking.
the part of your hand that is shaped like a thick short finger and helps you to hold things: a baby sucking its thumb She held the coin carefully between finger and thumb.2the part of a glove that fits over your thumb3be all fingers and thumbs British English, be all thumbs American English informal to be unable to do something in which you have to make small careful movements with your fingers: Would you do up these buttons for me? I seem to be all thumbs today.4the thumbs up/down informal when an idea or plan is officially accepted or not accepted: The project was finally given the thumbs up. Her performance got the thumbs down from the critics.5be under somebody’s thumb to be so strongly influenced by someone that they control you completely: He was still under his father’s thumb. → rule of thumb at rule1(8), → stand/stick out like a sore thumb at sore1(6)thumb1 nounthumb2 verb
thumbthumb2 verb VERB TABLE
thumb
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | thumb |
| he, she, it | thumbs | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | thumbed |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have thumbed |
| he, she, it | has thumbed | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had thumbed |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will thumb |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have thumbed |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am thumbing |
| he, she, it | is thumbing | |
| you, we, they | are thumbing | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was thumbing |
| you, we, they | were thumbing | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been thumbing |
| he, she, it | has been thumbing | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been thumbing |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be thumbing |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been thumbing |
EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
- As a joke I actually bought it for Richard to thumb through.
- Faubus had again thumbed his nose at the judiciary by refusing to appear.
- Once again Azadi thumbed through the intelligence report for some inspiration.
- She thumbed them into the magazine before placing it carefully back in the box with the weapon.
- Two or three cars passed me and I tried to thumb a lift, but they didn't stop.
- Voters here have always been drawn to against-the-grain outsiders who make a career of thumbing their noses at party traditionalists.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES ‘Is that the only way out of here?’ he asked, jerking a thumb at the door.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB
‘Is that the only way out of here?’ he asked, jerking a thumb at the door.· Without thumbing through Who's Who?, he's now agreed to read four better-known celebrity faces.· As a joke I actually bought it for Richard to thumb through.
NOUN· You try to thumb a lift from the cars as they approach from either direction, sweeping you with their headlights.· Luke Bouverie missed the last bus out of Woodborough to Loxford, so he thumbed a lift.· Two or three cars passed me and I tried to thumb a lift, but they didn't stop.
· So long as he had the support of Sir Rufus Stone, he could thumb his nose at Cotton.· Voters here have always been drawn to against-the-grain outsiders who make a career of thumbing their noses at party traditionalists.· Judges who thumb their noses at presidents are thought to be good for democracy.· Faubus had again thumbed his nose at the judiciary by refusing to appear.· The way she slept on her side, thumb up against her nose.· Voters have thumbed their noses at it.· The protestors were denigrating the primary symbol of the ordained ministry, they claimed, and thumbing their noses at the Church.
· But just thumbing through the pages will always be a delightful task.· Do you know how many subscription cards can fall out of a magazine as you thumb through 10 pages?· Gloria lay on the bed and thumbed through the pages of her magazine.· In order to find them, I have merely thumbed through the pages of recent editions of Hansard.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRYPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1thumb a lift British English, thumb a ride American English informal to persuade a driver of a passing car to stop and take you somewhere, by putting your hand out with your thumb raised: - Luke Bouverie missed the last bus out of Woodborough to Loxford, so he thumbed a lift.
- Two or three cars passed me and I tried to thumb a lift, but they didn't stop.
- You try to thumb a lift from the cars as they approach from either direction, sweeping you with their headlights.
- This is yet another example of Republicans thumbing their nose at the poor.
- Faubus had again thumbed his nose at the judiciary by refusing to appear.
- Judges who thumb their noses at presidents are thought to be good for democracy.
- So long as he had the support of Sir Rufus Stone, he could thumb his nose at Cotton.
- The protestors were denigrating the primary symbol of the ordained ministry, they claimed, and thumbing their noses at the Church.
- Voters have thumbed their noses at it.
- Voters here have always been drawn to against-the-grain outsiders who make a career of thumbing their noses at party traditionalists.
- She was all fingers and thumbs - and worry.
- You should tip bellmen $1- $2 per bag, as a rule of thumb.
- A good rule of thumb is to think of 30k as around the upper limit for a page.
- As a rule of thumb, funds with durations of one to three years are relatively conservative.
- Business development professionals often rely on simple rules of thumb to sort potential relationships and weed out unlikely partners.
- In general, the rule of thumb was that one's peers were seconded to perform the role.
- It was a place, Wade came to understand, where lost was a rule of thumb.
- Journalists have a rule of thumb: the more a person knows, the more that person can learn.
- The rule of thumb no longer mattered.
- When constructing a footpath we follow rules of thumb.
- You can't come to the restaurant dressed in jeans. You'd stick out like a sore thumb.
- For these reasons feminist values stand out like a sore thumb.
- Having a whole batch together should make an odd one stick out like a sore thumb.
- Having said that, in some of the bits of Shoreditch I passed through I stuck out like a sore thumb.
- I mean, it sticks out like a sore thumb.
- There's no cover, and - as happened to me - any stranger sticks out like a sore thumb.
- We stand out like sore thumbs.
- You stick out like a sore thumb in that ghastly uniform, Charles.
- I sat there and twiddled my thumbs.
- The rest of us could just sit and twiddle our thumbs and drink iced coffee.
- Till then, its quarry sat twiddling his thumbs and not quite smirking.
I thumbed a lift into town.2thumb your nose at somebody/something to show that you do not respect rules, laws etc or you do not care what someone thinks of you: a chance to thumb his nose at the college authoritiesthumb through something phrasal verb to look through a book, magazine etc quickly: I began thumbing through the pages of a gardening catalogue.