thumb1 /θʌm/ ●●● S3 noun [countableC] 1 HBHthe part of your hand that is shaped like a thick short finger and helps you to hold things 〔手的〕拇指 a baby sucking its thumb 吮着大拇指的婴儿
She held the coin carefully between finger and thumb. 她小心翼翼地把那枚硬币捏在食指和拇指之间。
→4 See picture of 见图 HAND 1 →5 see picture at 见图 hand1 3 be all fingers and thumbs British EnglishBrE, be all thumbs American English informalCLUMSY to be unable to do something in which you have to make small careful movements with your fingers 笨手笨脚 Would you do up these buttons for me? I seem to be all thumbs today. 帮我扣上这些纽扣好吗?今天我感觉自己笨手笨脚的。
be all fingers and thumbs• She was all fingers and thumbs - and worry.
4 the thumbs up/down informalACCEPTREJECT/NOT ACCEPT when an idea or plan is officially accepted or not accepted 正式接受/拒绝〔观点或计划〕 The project was finally given the thumbs up. 项目终于获得批准。
Her performance got the thumbs down from the critics. 她的表演受到了评论家的批评。
5 be under somebody’s thumb OBEYto be so strongly influenced by someone that they control you completely 完全在某人的控制之下;在某人的巨大影响下 He was still under his father’s thumb. 他仍受制于他的父亲。
be under somebody’s thumb• 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. → rule of thumb at rule1(8), → stand/stick out like a sore thumb at sore1(6)