▪ I. finger, n.
(ˈfɪŋgə(r))
Forms: 1 finger, 3 fenger, fingre, finker, 3–5 south. ving(e)re, 3–7 finguer, 4–5 fyngir, -yr, fin-, fyngur, fingere, fyngre, 4–6 fynger, 6 fin-, fyngar, 3– finger.
[Com. Teutonic. OE. and OFris. finger, OS. fingar (Du. vinger), OHG. fingar (MHG. vinger, Ger. finger), ON. fingr (Sw., Da. finger), Goth. figgrs:—OTeut. *fingro-z.
The pre-Teut. antecedent is uncertain; of various forms that are phonologically possible the most likely, on the ground of meaning, is *penqrós, related to *penqe five.]
I. 1. a. One of the five terminal members of the hand; in a restricted sense, one of the four excluding the thumb. In this latter sense, the fingers are commonly numbered first to fourth, starting from that next the thumb. Also fore-finger, index-finger, the first; middle finger († fool's finger), the second; ring finger (annular finger, † leech-finger, † medical finger, † physic-finger), the third; little finger (ear-finger), the fourth.
| c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. xxiii. 4 Mið fynger..hiora nallas ða [byrðenna hefiᵹa] ymbcerræ. c 1050 Byrhtferth's Handboc in Anglia VIII. 326 Þæt þu cume to þæs læstan fingres nægle. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 13 Þas .x. bebode þe godalmihti seolf idihte and awrat mid is aȝene fingres. c 1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 309/320 Þeos fif fingres þe deuel hath. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. ii. 11 Hir Fyue Fyngres weore frettet with Rynges. c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. 158 Bitwene þe litil fyngir and þe leche fiyngir. 14.. Camb. MS. Ff. v. 48 lf. 82 (Cath. Angl. 131/2) The fifte fynger is the thowmbe. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 34 b, Caused..a meruaylous swete sauour to respyre and smell aboute his fyngers. 1549 Bk. Com. Prayer, Matrimony, To put it vpon the fowerth finger of the womans left hande. 1611 Cotgr., Le doigt sale, the middle finger, which we (after the Latines) call the fooles finger. 1621 Molle Camerar. Liv. Libr. v. ii. 321 His fourth finger called the Ring-finger or Physicke-finger. 1653 Urquhart Rabelais i. viii, Upon the medical finger of the same hand, he had a ring. 1707 Floyer Physic. Pulse-Watch 229 They lay their four Fingers along the Artery. 1794 Cowper Let. 5 Jan., My pen slips out of my fingers. 1804 Med. Jrnl. XII. 24 Contractions..so small as only to admit the passage of the little finger. 1819 Shelley Cenci iii. i. 83 Those pallid hands whose fingers twine With one another. 1861 Hulme tr. Moquin-Tandon i. ii. 4 The fingers are 5 in number in each hand: they are named thumb, index, middle, ring, and little finger. |
b. little finger: used to signify the smallest member of the body.
| 1611 Bible 2 Chron. x. 10 My litle [1382 Wyclif, lest] finger shall be thicker then my father's loynes. 1670 Ray Eng. Prov. 175 He hath more in's little finger, then thou in thy whole body. 1736 Ramsay Scot. Prov. xiv. 34 He has mair wit in his little finger than ye have in a' your bouk. |
2. a. transf. and
fig.| 1612 Bacon Ess., Judicature (Arb.) 458 An ancient Clearke..is an excellent finger of a Court, and doth many times point the way to the Iudge himselfe. a 1661 Fuller Worthies (1840) III. 216 The least finger thereof [body of lies] finding credit could prove heavy enough to crush any innocence with posterity. 1827 Pollok Course T. vii. 327 Touched by the mortal finger of decay. 1814 Wordsw. Excurs. vi. 19 Spires whose solemn finger points to Heaven. 1862 B. Taylor Poet's Jrnl. iii. 112 The fingers of the rain In light staccatos on the window played. 1891 B. Harte First Family of Tasajara II. i. 27 On whose mute brown lips Nature seemed to have laid the finger of silence. |
b. Viewed as ‘the instrument of work’ (J.);
esp. (after
Heb. use) as attributed to God.
| c 825 Vesp. Psalter viii. 4 Ic ᵹesie heofenas werc fingra ðinra. a 1340 Hampole Psalter viii. 4, I sall see þi heuens werkes of þi fyngirs. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. (1586) i. 5 b, All things handled with honest and vertuous fyngers prosper the better. 1585 Abp. Sandys Serm. (1841) 288 He cast out devils by the finger of God. 1611 Bible Ex. viii. 19 The Magicians said vnto Pharaoh; This is the finger of God. 1645 Waller Epist. Vandike 18 Foole, that forget'st her stubborne looke This softnesse from thy finger tooke. 1727 De Foe Syst. Magic i. iii. (1840) 77 What they did by their sorcery..was not done by the finger of God. |
3. Phrases:
a. † to bring up on the finger:
= ‘to bring up (young animals) by hand’; see
hand.
† to have most fingers: to be in the greatest need.
to keep (or to have) one's fingers crossed: to crook one finger over another to bring good luck; hence
fig., to hope for success or good fortune; also
with fingers crossed (and similar phrases).
to lay or put a finger upon (a person): to ‘touch’, meddle with however slightly.
to lay or put one's finger upon: to indicate with precision.
to lift, throw, or turn up the little finger: to drink heavily.
to look through the or one's fingers (at, upon): to take no heed, pretend not to see; also, to see indistinctly.
(to point the) finger of scorn: see
point v.
1 12 and
scorn n. 1 c.
to pull (or take) one's finger out: (slang) to get a move on, get ‘cracking’;
freq. in
imp. to put the finger on: (slang,
orig. U.S.) to inform against, to denounce to the police; to identify (a victim) to an assassin; also
transf. to put († set) one's finger in one's eye: see
eye n. 2 c.
with one's finger in one's mouth: (
a) helplessly inactive; (
b) with nothing accomplished, ‘looking foolish’.
† to speak at one's fingers of: to speak off-hand about.
to stir a finger: to make the least effort; also
(not) to lift (or move) a finger.
to turn or twist (a person) round one's (little) finger: to make subservient to one's will or caprice.
| 1617 Markham Caval. ii. 109 Those that neuer suck their dams, but..are..brought vp vpon the finger. |
| 1677 A. Yarranton Eng. Improv. 171 It is we poor Men that have most Fingers. |
| 1924 Ladies' Home Jrnl. Jan. 24/1 This is the year to keep your fingers crossed and announce yourself from Missouri. 1938 ‘N. Shute’ Ruined City xii. 246 I've got my fingers crossed. I keep them that way all the time. 1940 F. Scott Fitzgerald Let. 24 Aug. (1964) 122, I have my fingers crossed but..I think my stock out here is better. 1945 Penguin New Writing XXIII. 16 We'll..duck when we hear a mortar, and keep our fingers crossed. 1966 D. Shannon With a Vengeance (1968) x. 141 I'll go see your Papa. With fingers crossed. |
| 1865 R. S. Hawker Prose Wks. (1893) 41 He wished he'd..never laid a finger on him to save his life. 1889 Repent. P. Wentworth III. 236 Any definite complaint on which a physician could have put his finger. 1894 Doyle S. Holmes 120 You lay your finger upon the one point which we [etc.]. |
| 1824 Scott Redgauntlet II. xiii. 311 Nanty likes the turning up of his little finger unco weel. 1845 J. S. Le Fanu Cock & Anchor iii. xii. 143 Has he been throwing up the little finger, my dear?.. He used to be rayther partial to brandy. 1890 F. M. Peacock Soldier & Maid i. 9 The best of fellows,..but liquors a bit..; lifts his little finger. |
| 1549 Latimer 4th Serm. bef. Edw. VI (Arb.) 105 If the kynge..shoulde loke through his fingers, and wynke at it. 1550 Coverdale Spir. Perle xx. 193 As thoughe God must..loke thorowe the fingers vpon the wicked world. 1579 Gosson Sch. Abuse (Arb.) 24 To shew you that..which I see in a cloude, loking through my fingers. |
| 1941 Baker Dict. Austral. Slang 28 Pull out your finger! Hurry up! 1942 Observer 4 Oct. 7/3 We stooged about a bit above our target..and then we pulled our fingers out, and pranged it. 1944 J. H. Fullarton Troop Target i. 16 For Christ's sake pull your finger out, Bill. 1956 T. Sutherland Green Kiwi i. 22 ‘They're tigers for toil,’ he went on. ‘The bloke that takes a job with them wants to be able to pull his finger out.’ 1961 Times 18 Oct. 8/2 (Duke of Edinburgh) I think it is about time we pulled our fingers out. 1962 Spectator 2 Nov. 680 If the publicity..would ‘take its finger out’ and show railways..as..if they were a new idea. 1963 Listener 21 Feb. 320/2 We have come to a pretty pass when even royalty tells us to pull our fingers out. |
| 1926 J. Black You can't Win vii. 84 If I'm grabbed with this junk I'll rot in jail before I put the finger on you. 1929 D. Hammett Red Harvest xxiv. 236 You think I killed them, don't you, Dick?.. Going to put the finger on me? 1930 in Amer. Speech (1951) XXVI. 155/2 Put a finger on, mark for killing. 1951 Partridge Dict. Slang Suppl. 1047 Put the finger on, to point (a wanted man) out to the police. 1959 Times Lit. Suppl. 25 Dec. 753/2 In one episode Brett puts the finger on a ‘loaded’ script depicting juvenile crime. |
| 1971 Daily Tel. 2 July 15/1, I have not heard of anyone who wants to put the finger on me. |
| a 1568 Coverdale Bk. Death iii. v. (1579) 263 Many..which..haue set finger in the eye, knocked vpon there breastes [etc.]. |
| 1649 Cromwell Lett. 14 Nov., To stand with our fingers in our mouths. 1874 in Spectator (1891) 28 Mar. 443 He returned to Ireland with his finger in his mouth. |
| 1607 Topsell Four-f. Beasts Pref., He was an unskilful Divine..which could not at his fingers speak of these things. |
| 1833 A. Fonblanque England under Seven Administr. (1837) II. 321 We don't believe that he would have moved a finger to procure the return of the only man for the chair. 1854 H. Miller Sch. & Schm. (1858) 338, I..would not stir a finger in assertion of..alleged rights. 1863 Gladstone Let. 12 Nov. in P. Guedalla Palmerston Papers (1928) 269, I believe he has not himself lifted a finger in the matter. 1955 D. Garnett Flower of Forest ii. 14 Could anyone honestly say that we should have allowed Paris to be occupied and France defeated without lifting a finger? |
| 1855 Motley Dutch Rep. v. iii. (1866) 698 Margaret..had already turned that functionary round her finger. |
b. with reference to the capacity or condition of the fingers.
† to have a fine finger: to be apt at ‘fingering’ bribes.
† to have fingers made of lime-twigs: to be thievish.
my fingers itch: I am eager or impatient.
† each finger is a thumb;
his fingers are all thumbs: he is extremely clumsy.
with a wet finger: with the utmost ease.
| 1542 Udall Apophth. To Rdr., Whereby..to any good matter in the booke conteined, readie waie and recourse maie with a weate finger easily be found out. 1546 J. Heywood Prov. (1562) G iij b, Whan he should get ought, eche fynger is a thumbe. 1549 Latimer 5th Serm. bef. Edw. VI (Arb.) 151 Brybes wyl make you peruert iustice. Why you wil say. We touche none. No mary. But my Mystres your wyfe hath a fyne fynger she toucheth it for you. 1573 G. Harvey Letter-bk. (Camden) 10 Ani quæstion which I culd not shew with a wet finger out of sum excellent..writer. 1596 Harington Metam. Ajax (1814) 65 A certain gentleman that had his fingers made of lime-twigs, stole a pice of plate. 1600 Holland Livy xxxviii. xli. (1609) 1009 They had lesse store of pillage and bootie with them to set their..fingers on itching. 1754 Foote Knights i. Wks. 1799 I. 69 If Dame Winifred were here she'd make them all out with a wet finger. 1796 Nelson in Nicolas Disp. II. 280, I thought it most proper not to take him (although my fingers itched for it). 1861 Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. vii, It makes one's fingers itch to think of it. |
c. with reference to ‘taking part in’, ‘interference’ or ‘meddling’.
to burn one's fingers: see
burn v. 14, 14 b; so
to put one's finger in the fire,
† in a hole.
to put or dip one's finger(s in: to meddle in (a matter).
to have a finger in: to have something to do with; to take some part in (a business); so
to have a finger in the pie.
| 1546 J. Heywood Prov. (1562) F iv, It were a foly for mee..to put my finger to far in the fyre, Betweene you. Ibid. H ij b, To make me put my fynger in a hole. 1591 Lambarde Archeion (1635) 83 Whatsoever other Commissioners..will dip their owne fingers in the Suits. 1600 Abp. Abbot Exp. Jonah 416 The High Priest had a finger both in the Trumpet and the Fast. 1659 B. Harris Parival's Iron Age 75 Lusatia..must needs, forsooth, have her Finger in the Pye. 1672 R. Wild Declar. Lib. Consc. 10 None..durst begin, for fear they should burn their Fingers. 1828 Scott F.M. Perth vii, You will needs put your fingers in the fire. 1861 W. S. Perry Hist. Ch. Eng. I. vi. 258 The King..had a finger..in all the disputes in Europe. 1886 Miss Tytler Buried Diamonds xii, Susie..liked to have a finger in every pie. |
d. with reference to grasping or holding.
in one's fingers: in one's grasp or power.
to let (a thing or person) slip through one's fingers: to let go one's hold of (
lit. and
fig.).
† out of (a persons's) fingers: out of his clutches.
† to hang long betwixt the fingers: to be long in hand.
| 1623 Bingham Xenophon 139 Let vs be gone out of their fingers. c 1645 Howell Lett. (1655) I. v. 216, I am one of them, who value not a curtesie that hangs long betwixt the fingers. |
e. (For phrases referring to the ‘fingers' ends’, see
finger-end.) See also
finger-tip.
4. † a. One of the divisions of the foot in reptiles.
b. One of the articulations of a bat's wing.
| 1607 Topsell Serpents (1653) 738 The fingers of their [Lizards'] feet were very small, being five in number. Ibid. (1608) 794 They [Tortoises] have four legs..every foot having five fingers or divisions. 1626 Bacon Sylva §360 On each Foot he [the Chameleon] hath five Fingers. 1883 G. Allen in Knowl. 22 June 368/1 Between these fingers, and from them to the hind legs, stretches the membrane by means of which the bat flies. |
c. ‘One of the two parts forming a chelate or forceps-joint, expecially the smaller part, which hinges on the other’ (
Cent. Dict.).
5. As a measure.
a. The breadth of a finger. Also as a definite measure
= 3/
4 inch.
| c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xxi. 97 Nere a fote lang and v. fyngers on brede. 1561 Eden Arte Nauig. i. xviii. 19 Foure graines of barlye make a fynger: foure fingers a hande: foure handes a foote. 1607 Topsell Four-f. Beasts 19 Their tayle is about three fingers long. 1719 London & Wise Compl. Gard. 167 You must lay a Finger thick of Moss upon those Shelves. c 1850 Arab. Nts. (Rtldg.) 236 The lady..had on a rose-coloured girdle at least four fingers in width. 18.. Hall Mexican Law 79 (Cent. Dict.) A finger, in Mexican law, is the sixteenth part of a foot. |
† b. Astron. = digit.
Obs.| 1561 Eden Arte Nauig. ii. viii. 35 The Astronomers deuide into .xii. equall partes, as well the Diameter of the Sunne as of the Moone. And these partes they call fyngers, punctes or prickes. |
c. slang (
orig. U.S.). A ‘nip’ of liquor. [So F.
doigt.]
| 1856 Porter's Spirit of Times 4 Oct. 73/1 We each took a first mate's drink—i.e. three fingers. 1888 Newport Jrnl. 25 Feb. (Farmer), ‘Which is correct, spoonfuls or spoons-ful?’..‘In Denver..we say fingers.’ 1940 L. MacNeice Plant & Phantom (1941) 53 Three fingers of Scotch and a cube of ice. 1959 ‘J. Welcome’ Stop at Nothing xiii. 185, I poured out another four fingers and handed the tumbler to him. |
d. In
U.S., the length of a finger (about 4½ inches).
6. a. That part of a glove which is made to receive a finger.
| 1565 Cooper Thesaurus, Digitalia, thinges couering the fingars..fingers of gloues. 1655 Marquis of Worcester Cent. Inv. §89 White Silk knotted in the fingers of a Pair of white Gloves. 1884 Chester Gloss., Finger-stall, a covering..made by cutting off the finger of an old glove. |
b. dial. in
pl. The foxglove.
| 1888 Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk., Fingers, Foxglove. |
7. Skill in fingering (a musical instrument); touch.
| 1741 Richardson Pamela (1824) I. cii. 499 Miss L―..has an admirable finger upon the harpsichord. 1751 R. Paltock P. Wilkins (1884) I. xxiv. 245 Softness and easiness of finger. 1850 F. Trollope Petticoat Govt. 78 Her brilliant finger on the piano-forte. |
II. Something which resembles a finger.
8. a. A finger-like projection;
esp. such a part either of the fruit, foliage, or root of a plant.
spec. a banana.
| 1702 J. Petiver in Phil. Trans. XXIII. 1264 Having its Spikes or Fingers shorter. 1864 Browning J. Lee's Wife iii. ii, Our fig tree..has furled Her five fingers. 1888 Encycl. Brit. (ed. 9) XXIX. 662/2 Some of these [varieties of Turmeric] consist..of the somewhat cylindrical lateral tubers, which are distinguished in trade as ‘fingers’. 1894 J. E. Humphrey in Pop. Sci. Monthly XLIV. 497 A hand may contain from a dozen to twenty fruits or ‘fingers’. 1895 Daily News 26 Aug. 5/2 This..is a shorter and stouter plant than the tropical banana, and often bears from 150 to 250 ‘fingers’ in a bunch. 1961 F. G. Cassidy Jamaica Talk v. 99 A single banana or plantain (a ‘finger’ of the hand) is often called a seed. |
b. ‘A cartilaginous slender appendage sometimes observable in fishes between the pectoral and ventral fins’ (Crabb 1823).
c. A long narrow pier, etc. (
e.g. a feature of airport architecture).
| 1951 Progressive Archit. Jan. 49 The pair of two-level ‘finger’ concourses allows passage to plane-loading points almost wholly under cover. 1954 Civil Engin. (U.S.) Sept. 56 Work on the terminal building and its fingers. 1958 Times 30 May 7/6 Aircraft can taxi to the..900 ft. long glazed pier, or ‘finger’, which stretches out from the terminal to provide completely enclosed passenger access. 1962 Economist 15 Dec. 1131/2 Narrow, cluttered ‘finger’ piers such as those in New York. 1965 New Statesman 20 Aug. 261/3 Half-a-dozen well-detailed finger-plan airports. 1970 Times 18 Mar. (Liberia Suppl.) p. v/5 An additional 750 ft. ‘finger’ pier was built at Monrovia to accommodate two further ore-carrying vessels. |
9. a. A short and narrow piece of any material.
b. Short for
finger-biscuit (see 14 b).
| 1846 Francatelli Mod. Cook 397 Fingers, or Naples biscuits. 1865 Athenæum No. 1989. 803/2 Elderberry wine and fingers of toast. |
10. a. Something which performs the office of a finger: the ‘hand’ of a clock (now
dial.); in
Mech. , any small projecting rod, wire, or piece which is brought into contact with an object in order to initiate, direct, or arrest motion, or to separate or divide materials.
| 1496 in Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. I. 292 Item..for lokkis, fyngeris, and boltis to the bombartis. 1784 Cowper Task iv. 118 Fancy, like the finger of a clock, Runs the great circuit. 1855 A. Marsh Heiress of Haughton II. iv, One cannot discern the finger moving on the dial plate. 1878 A. Barlow Weaving 214 In Webster's loom a temporary race is formed by means of ‘fingers’, inserted and withdrawn at proper times, and two shuttles may be thrown separately or simultaneously. 1884 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockm. (1892) 204 A small gold finger, projecting far enough to reach the edge of the smaller roller. |
b. (
a) A policeman or detective; (
b) an informer; (
c) a contemptible or eccentric person; (
d) a pickpocket; (
e) one who supplies information or indicates victims to criminals.
slang.| 1899 ‘J. Flynt’ Tramping with Tramps 393 Finger, a policeman. 1914 Jackson & Hellyer Vocab. Criminal Slang 33 Finger,..An informer; an investigator for officers. 1916 C. J. Dennis Songs Sentimental Bloke 122 Finger, an eccentric or amusing person. 1925 Flynn's 24 Jan. 119/1 Finger, a pickpocket. 1926 Ibid. 16 Jan. 638/2 If th' stunt was pulled right an' th' Finger does call you, you know th' getaway is in th' clear. 1932 Ibid. 28 May 36/2 The café owner had taken me for a professional finger, one of the scouts of the underworld. 1933 G. Ingram ‘Stir’ 8 Finger, a term of contempt for man or woman. 1938 F. D. Sharpe Sharpe of Flying Squad xiv. 156 They [sc. pickpockets] work in pairs; one is ‘the fingers’, the other obstructs and jostles. 1960 K. Hopkins Dead against my Principles xix. 129 He's a finger, works in Fulham mostly. Small profits, quick returns. 1962 John o' London's 25 Jan. 82/3 A man who identifies a suspect at an identification parade..is called a finger. |
11. Printing.
a. One of the grippers which hold the paper in a printing-machine.
b. (See
quot.)
| 1869 S. T. Davenport in Eng. Mech. 31 Dec. 377/2 Filling in the separate colours [in coloured printing]..by small inking-rubbers, known as thumbs and fingers. |
12. In a reaping machine: (see
quots.).
| 1860 Gard. Chron. 14 July 658/3 The fingers [of the reaping machine]..having sharp points, flat vertical sides. 1873 Daily News 13 Aug., By the addition of what are called ‘fingers’, the ‘reaper’ will cut corn, however much it may be laid. 1878 Ure Dict. Arts IV. 18 The knife..consisted of a serrated blade, at first straight, but afterwards waved, and passing through pointed sheaths now called ‘fingers’. |
13. With various defining words prefixed,
esp. in popular names of plants, as
bloody (
man's)
finger,
dead man's (
men's)
finger(s,
devil's,
dog-,
fairy-,
fox-,
king's,
lady's,
lords' and ladies',
purple fingers: see the different words.
III. attrib. and
Comb. 14. General relations:
a. simple
attrib., as
finger-fillip,
finger-game,
finger-gesture,
finger-joint,
finger-ring,
finger-sign,
finger-work;
b. similative, chiefly in the sense of resembling a finger in shape, as
finger-biscuit,
finger-muffin,
finger prayer-book,
finger-shell;
finger-like,
finger-shaped adjs.;
c. objective, as
finger-licking,
finger-pointing,
finger-wagging;
finger-squeezing adj.| 1846 Francatelli Mod. Cook 397 The *finger biscuits must be immediately placed on a baking sheet, and put in the oven. |
| 1884 Yates Recoll. II. vi, On the other side of the newspaper came a *finger-fillip. |
| 1871 Tylor Prim. Cult. I. 68 The ancient Egyptians..used to play at some kind of *finger-game. |
| 1930 R. Paget Babel 49 Hand- and *finger-gestures. 1938 R. G. Collingwood Princ. Art xi. 242 Italians..have a long tradition of controlled finger-gesture, going back to the ancient game of micare digitis. |
| 1838 Dickens Nich. Nick. iv, Cracked his *finger-joints as if he were snapping all the bones in his hands. |
| 1860 G. H. K. Vac. Tour 139 There is no patting..on his part, or cringing and *finger-licking on that of colly. |
| 1776 Withering Brit. Plants (1796) III. 735 Outer scales of the calyx with *finger-like divisions. 1860 Tyndall Glac. i. ii. 20 The lower glacier, cleft..into finger-like ridges. |
| 1842 Charles Whitehead Richard Savage (1845) II. ix. 294 There was my devilish mother in a side-box, gay and giggling, *finger-pointing [etc.]. 1860 Emerson Cond. Life, Power 44 Their instincts are a finger-pointing of Providence. |
| 1889 (title), The *Finger Prayer Book. |
| 1535 Coverdale Esther viii. 2 The kynge put of his *fynger rynge....& gaue it vnto Mardocheus. 1879 Maclear Celts ii. 13 Costly finger-rings. |
| 1857 Wood Com. Obj. Sea Shore vi. 116 Alcyonium digitatum, or the *Finger-shaped Alcyonium. |
| 1953 J. S. Huxley Evol. in Action iv. 110 She [sc. Helen Keller]..realized that this particular combination of *finger-signs ‘meant the wonderful cool something’ that she was feeling. |
| 1770 Jenner Placid Man II. 92 For one cold, bleak, *finger-squeezing night. |
| 1931 Times Lit. Suppl. 6 Aug. 607/3 The inconsequent *finger-wagging information, the all too ‘noble’ priggishness. 1965 G. McInnes Road to Gundagai vi. 107 We were the object of finger-wagging lectures. |
15. Special comb.: as
finger-alphabet, an alphabet consisting of certain dispositions of the fingers as a means of communication between the deaf and dumb; a deaf and dumb alphabet;
finger-bar, the bar which carries the fingers of a reaping machine (sense 12);
finger-board, (
a) ‘the flat or slightly rounded piece of wood attached to the neck of instruments of the violin and guitar class, on to which the strings are pressed when stopped by the fingers’ (Stainer & Barrett); (
b) a key-board, manual; (
c)
U.S. = finger-post; (
d) a gradient indicator;
finger-bowl = finger-glass;
finger-breadth (also
finger's-breadth) the width of a finger used as a measure;
finger-brush (see
quot.);
finger-cold a. dial., cold enough to benumb the fingers;
finger-coral, a millepore (
Millepora alcicornis);
finger-counting, calculation by means of the fingers;
finger-cymbals (see
quot.);
finger-director, ‘a metallic cylinder tapering towards the extremity, and open in front; used in the rectangular operation of lithotomy’ (
Syd. Soc. Lex. 1884);
finger-fed a. Sc., ‘delicately brought up, pampered’ (
Jam.);
finger-fern, the name of a kind of Spleenwort (
Asplenium Ceterach);
finger-fish, the star-fish;
cf. five fingers;
finger-flower, the fox-glove (
Digitalis purpurea);
finger food, food which may be eaten with the fingers; food so served that it can conveniently be eaten without cutlery,
esp. as a snack;
finger-glass, (
a) a glass vessel to hold water, for rinsing the fingers after dessert; (
b)
pl. = harmonica 1 a;
finger-grass, grass of genus
Digitaria (family Gramineæ);
red finger-grass,
Digitaria sanguinalis;
finger-grip (see
quot.);
finger-guard, the quillons of a sword, recurved towards the pommel as a protection to the fingers;
finger-hold, something by which the fingers can hold; also
transf. and
fig.;
finger-hole, one of a series of holes in a wind-instrument, which are opened and closed by the fingers in playing;
finger-impression, a term formerly used for
finger-print;
finger lake [
f. Finger Lakes, name of a group of lakes in New York State], any long narrow lake in a glaciated valley;
finger-language, language expressed upon the fingers by means of the finger-alphabet;
finger-length, the length of a finger used as a measure;
finger-lickin', -licking (good) a. orig. U.S. [
f. the proprietary slogan ‘It's finger lickin' good’], tasty or appetizing; also
fig.;
finger-light a., (of motor-vehicle steering) susceptible to pressure by the fingers alone;
† finger-loping (see
quot.);
finger man U.S. slang = finger n. 10 b (
e);
finger-mark, the mark left upon a surface where the finger has touched it; also, a term formerly used for
finger-print;
finger-mark v., trans. to mark with a (dirty) finger (also in quasi-passive sense); hence
finger-marked ppl. adj.;
finger-mirror, a dentist's mouth-mirror fitted with a clasp or attachment to the finger;
finger-nut (
cf. finger-screw);
finger-orchis (see
quot.);
finger paint, a jelly-like paint used chiefly by children;
finger-paint v. intr., to apply paint (to a canvas or other surface) with the finger; also
transf.; so
finger-painting vbl. n.;
finger-parted a. Bot., divided into lobes more or less resembling the fingers of the hand;
finger-passage Mus., a passage suited to the study and practice of fingering;
finger-piece, a piece actuated by the finger;
finger-plate, a plate of metal or porcelain fixed on either side of a door above and below the handle to prevent finger-marks;
finger-play, (
a) a game involving an intricate use of the fingers (see also
quot. 1945); (
b) the use of the fingers for caressing or sexual stimulation,
spec. of the genital parts;
† finger-plum, a kind of plum;
finger-print = finger-mark, also
fig.; now with specific reference to the recording by the police of impressions taken from the finger-tips of criminals and suspects; hence
finger-print v. trans., to take the finger-prints of;
finger-printing vbl. n.;
finger-puff (
Hairdressing), ‘a long and slender puff, often made by rolling the hair over a finger’ (
Cent. Dict.);
finger-reading, a method of reading, practised by the blind, by passing the fingers over raised letters;
finger-root = finger-flower;
fingers-and-thumbs, a popular name for
Lotus corniculatus;
fingers-and-toes, (
a)
= prec.; (
b)
= anbury 2 (also
finger-and-toe);
finger-screw, one made with wings so that it may be turned by the fingers; a thumb-screw;
† finger-shade, the action of concealing the mouth with the fingers;
finger-shield (see
quot.);
finger-smith slang, (
a) a midwife; (
b) a pickpocket;
finger-snap, a snap of the fingers; whence
finger-snapping;
finger-speech = finger-language;
finger-spin, spin imparted to a ball by the fingers (as in Cricket and Table Tennis in bowling and serving); hence
finger-spinner;
finger-sponge, a sponge with finger-shaped lobes or branches;
finger-steel (see
quot.);
finger-stocks (see
quot.);
finger-style a. and adv., using the fingers alone (not a plectrum) in playing certain stringed instruments;
finger-talk = finger-language; so
finger-talking;
finger-tight adv., as tightly as possible by hand;
finger-tray,
† finger-watch (see
quots.);
finger-wave Hairdressing, a wave set in wet hair with the fingers; so
finger-waving vbl. n.;
finger-work, (
a) work executed with the fingers; (
b) the play of, or manipulation by, the fingers. Also
finger-end, -post, -stall, -stone.
| 1751 Smollett Per. Pic. (1779) III. lxxxiii. 285 She asked, by the help of the *finger-alphabet. 1865 Tylor Early Hist. Man. ii. 17 To spell out sentences with the finger-alphabet. |
| 1865–6 Trans. Ill. Agric. Soc. VI. 52 Patent Cold Rolled Reaper and *Mower Finger Bars. 1893 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. Dec. 710 The finger-bar was necessarily carried higher. |
| a 1672 Wood Life (O.H.S.) I. 257 The *finger-board of the violin. 1804 Fredericktown (Md.) Herald 11 Feb. 3/1 Holding the finger board in a wrong direction for Carter's Mountain. 1845 in D. Drake Pioneer Life Kentucky (1870) x. 235 At their..forks there were no finger boards, and not many living fingers to point out the true way. 1879 Stainer Music of Bible 15 In the guitar the finger-board forms a back or strip of wood behind the strings for their whole length. 1883 F. S. Williams Our Iron Roads iv. 95 Gradients..vary considerably as we may see by the finger-boards placed on the lines for the guidance of the engine-driver. |
| 1864 Worcester, *Finger-bowl. 1884 Harper's Mag. July 309/1 Guests..unused to finger-bowls. |
| 1594 Blundevil Exerc. iii. ii. vi. (ed. 7) 382 Foure barley kernels couched close together side by side..are said to make a *finger breadth. 1659 B. Harris Parival's Iron Age 179 Spain was indeed within her fingers breadth of destruction. 1721–1800 Bailey, Fingers-breadth, a Measure of two Barley Corn's Length, or 4 laid side to side. 1817 Coleridge Biog. Lit. 205 It does not desire a single finger-breadth more than what is necessary. |
| 1885 Crane Bookbinding x. 87 The *‘finger-brush’..is..about the size of a shaving-brush, of stiff hairs cut square at the ends. The brush, being dipped in the colour, is drawn across the fingers, so as to jerk the colour off in spots. |
| 1862 Thoreau Excursions (1863) 302 It is *finger-cold. 1887 Kent Gloss., ‘'Twas downright finger⁓cold first thing this marning.’ |
| 1884 J. Gow Grk. Math. §8 That..more complicated system of *fingercounting. |
| 1888 Stainer & Barrett Dict. Mus. Terms 126 Small cymbals are sometimes attached to the fingers and are hence called *finger-cymbals. |
| 1578 Lyte Dodoens iii. lxvii. 408 This herbe [Ceterach] is called in English..*Finger ferne. 1621 Burton Anat. Mel. (1624) 300 For the spleene, maiden-haire, fingerfearne. |
| 1796 Morse Amer. Geog. I. 228 Star Fish or *Finger Fish. |
| 1629 Parkinson Paradisus xcvii. 383 Some..doe call them [foxgloves] *Finger-flowers, because they are like vnto the fingers of a gloue, the ends cut off. |
| 1949 A. L. Hill Compl. Bk. Table Setting xix. 248 Asparagus used to be considered a *finger food, but today, happily, the tips are cut off with the fork and eaten with it. 1965 Harper's Bazaar Feb. 59/2 What a nauseating expression ‘Finger Food’ is! 1977 P. Leach Baby & Child iii. 145 At this age all but finger-foods will have to be smoothly pureed. 1985 N.Y. Times 9 Aug. c20/3 ‘Finger foods’, intriguing little appetizers that can be picked up and eaten with the hands. |
| 1814 Jane Austen Mansf. Park III. xv. 296 She was meditating much upon silver forks, napkins, and *finger glasses. 1831 Brewster Optics vii. 71 Blue glass, like that generally used for finger glasses. 1868 G. M. Hopkins Jrnl. 20 June (1959) 167 Madle. Vogt [played] the finger-glasses (Mattauphône), and certainly that instrument is chromatically more perfect than the violin. |
| 1821 Mass. Hist. Soc. Coll. 2nd Ser. IX. 149 Plants, which are indigenous in the town of Middlebury, [Vermont, include] *Finger grass. 1856 Rep. Mass. Board Agric. I. 85 The stems of the finger grass are from one to two feet high. 1943 R. Peattie Great Smokies 168 In the first year after abandonment..horseweed and finger grass predominate. |
| 1874 Knight Dict. Mech. I. 848/1 *Finger-grip, a tool for recovering rods or tools dropped into a bored shaft. 1883 Gresley Gloss. Coal Mining, Finger Grip, a tool used in boring for gripping the upper ends of the rods. |
| 1909 Daily Chron. 21 Aug. 7/4 Wherever it [sc. samphire] can get *finger-hold in the rough face of the cliff, it shows in abundance. 1923 A. Train His Children's Children xviii. 219 The relief of him who, having plunged part way down the face of a precipice, has caught a finger-hold in a crevice. 1923 H. L. Wilson Oh, Doctor! xii. 135 ‘Yes,’ assented Seaver; ‘one of these movie actors that can bite nails in two and throw a horse over a fence and climb up the side of a church with only a finger hold.’ 1964 M. Morse Unattached v. 158 There seemed nothing I could do about this without endangering the fingerhold I had gained. |
| 1879 Stainer Music of Bible 96 Four of its tubes have small lateral *finger-holes. |
| 1903 Westm. Gaz. 16 Nov. 5/1 Witness told him that his *finger-impression had been found on a pane of glass on the roof of the building. 1906 Daily Chron. 24 Oct. 1/7 Two men who are so much alike that they can be distinguished only by their finger impressions. |
| 1931 C. C. Carter Landforms & Life xix. 122 Ten or more..radial streams and valleys may be counted and named from the map; most of them expand into *finger lakes. 1939 A. K. Lobeck Geomorphol. viii. 273 The long finger lakes of central and northern Sweden on the eastern side of the Scandinavian Highland correspond to the fiords of Norway on the western side. 1968 R. W. Fairbridge Encycl. Geomorphol. 435/2 Where the ice sheet passed over an escarpment, it left extra-deep finger lakes. |
| 1842 Dickens Amer. Notes I. iii. 93 She often soliloquizes in the *finger language. 1874 Sayce Compar. Philol. i. 52 The finger-language of the deaf and dumb. |
| 1857 Mrs. Carlyle Lett. II. 329 The baby is about three *finger-lengths long. |
| [1896 Dialect Notes I. 420 Licking (adv.), very. 'Licking good', of pie, candy, etc.] 1958 Amer. Restaurant Mag. June 64 (in picture) Featuring..Kentucky Fried Chicken..‘It's *finger lickin' good.’ 1963 Official Gaz. (U.S. Patent Office) 20 Aug. tm137/2 Kentucky Fried Chicken, Inc...‘it's finger lickin' good’. For freshly prepared chicken and gravy packaged and sold in retail trade. First use April 1952. 1970 Times 9 Mar. 8/5 A chain of shops selling southern fried chicken to take away finds ‘finger-lickin’ an effective adjective to describe their products. 1976 New Musical Express 12 Feb. 43/1 Eric and his chums consumed the lot and fell over without picking a single finger-lickin' note. 1978 Forbes (N.Y.) 23 Jan. 51/2 Massey went on to take over Kentucky Fried Chicken..and..sell out to Heublein at a finger-licking $45 million profit. |
| 1927 Observer 15 May 21 But no special skill is needed in directing this car, the steering of which is *finger-light. 1958 Times 22 Oct. 5 Finger-light power assisted steering ensures perfect control. |
| 1644 Bulwer Chiron. 110 The wagging and impertinent extension of the Fingers in speaking..Cresollius condemnes this *Finger-loping gesture as very uncomely. |
| 1930 Flynn's 15 Mar. 624/2 Martin was knocked off... It was thought Butch Swang had brought in the *finger men to put Martin on the spot. 1951 I. Shaw Troubled Air viii. 127 They're using you. You're their finger man. You're their respectable front. 1968 E. McGirr Lead-Lined Coffin ii. 80 He was right to concentrate on Fall. There could have been the fingerman watching him. |
| 1840 Dickens Barn. Rudge ii, Dirty *finger-marks upon his face. [1880 Herschel in Nature 25 Nov. 76/2, I have been taking sign-manuals by means of finger⁓marks for now more than twenty years.] 1889 Daily News 10 Dec. 7/9 Brilliant, lasting polish. Will not finger mark. 1891 Galton in Proc. R. Soc. 28 May 540 Methods of indexing Finger-Marks. |
| 1884 Knight Dict. Mech. IV. 334/2 *Finger-mirror. |
| 1598 Gerarde Herbal i. ciii. §2. 170 Roiall Satyrion or *finger Orchis, is called of the Latines Palma Christi. |
| 1950 Webster Add., *Finger paint (n.). 1966 ‘E. V. Cunningham’ Helen (1967) xii. 176, I dreamed that I was a little boy using finger paints. 1951 C. Hayes Ape in House (1952) xxiv. 210 She learned..to *fingerpaint on the rugs with butter and orange juice. 1971 Guardian 9 July 7/5 Teachers learning to finger paint at the York Teachers' Centre. |
| 1950 Webster Add., *Finger painting. 1959 J. Verney Friday's Tunnel iii. 34 Splodgy finger paintings in paste and powder colour. |
| 1829 Loudon Encycl. Plants 17 Lower leaves [of Veronica triphyllos] entire: middle *finger-parted. Ibid. 1099/1 Finger-parted, divided into lobes having a fanciful resemblance to the five fingers of a human hand. |
| 1883 Parry in Grove Dict. Mus. III. 584 The familiar outlines..of the principal harmonies afford the most favourable opportunities for..*finger-passages. |
| 1881 Greener Gun 201 This gun is loaded by turning the *finger-piece, which lies in the fore-part of the stock, round to the top of the barrel. |
| 1851 Ord. & Regul. R. Engineers §19. 91 Brass Sashes are not to be allowed; nor *Finger Plates, except for one or two rooms in a House. 1879 Cassell's Techn. Educ. IV. 298/2 Finger plates for doors. |
| 1945 C. V. Good Dict. Educ. 171/2 *Finger play, a dramatization of a verse or poem with appropriate finger movements, used as an attention-getting device with young children. 1963 Times 3 June 11/6 A book of fingerplays (great for idle moments),..and some books of riddles and puzzles. 1965 P. & E. Kronhausen Sexual Response in Women vi. 137 His finger-play on my clitoris helps. 1966 Bereiter & Engelmann Teaching Disadvantaged Children i. 14 Some time is usually devoted to group games, finger-plays, and the like. 1970 Sunday Times 15 Nov. 32/3 Pepys was highly susceptible to any available charmer, but contented himself as a rule with mutual fingerplay. |
| 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. ii. 96 The *fynger Plomes..being of the length of a mans fynger. |
| 1859 North Amer. Rev. LXXXVIII. 492 The chapel of St. Verena, where the *finger-prints of the young maiden still remain in the rock. 1884 J. Parker in Chr. World 15 May 360/4 The word ‘dogma’..seems to me to bear the *finger-prints of the pedant or the priest. 1891 Galton in 19th Cent. XXX. 304 My..collection of analysed finger-prints. 1891 19th Cent. Aug. 304 Finger-prints have been proposed..as a means of identification. 1903 Daily Chron. 9 Feb. 8/7 The finger-print system of identification. 1905 Ibid. 13 Sept. 7/4 A prisoner..seldom objects to being finger-printed. 1923 Glasgow Herald 2 Nov. 6 Demanding that every new-born child be finger-printed when registered. 1937 Oxoniensia II. 6 The large vessels..with finger-print decoration on the shoulder. 1955 Wall St. Jrnl. 1 Nov. 9/3 These methods of ‘finger printing’ chemical compounds often are considered better evidence of the existence of large molecules like those of natural rubber than physical evaluations. 1956 V. M. Ingram in Nature 13 Oct. 793/2 It was decided to call the resulting chromatogram the ‘finger print’ of the protein. 1961 J. Singh Ideas Mod. Cosmol. vii. 96 The measurement..enables us to compute the curvature. In other words, space curvature leaves its fingerprint on the pattern of galactic distribution in depth over the sky. 1969 Nature 23 Aug. 832/2 Fig. 1 shows a ‘fingerprint’ (peptide chromatogram) of the tryptic peptides of normal myoglobin. 1970 Daily Tel. 27 Feb. 4/8 The technique uses the radioactive ‘fingerprint’ of elements to determine their age and origin or to compare one substance with another. Ibid. 4 Mar. 17/8 When I realised it might be used in evidence against me I asked for it to be finger⁓printed. 1970 Nature 21 Mar. 1131/2 Fingerprints of the T1 ribonuclease digestion products of 16S and 23S RNAs are very different, thus indicating dissimilar primary structures. |
| 1922 Glasgow Herald 2 Nov. 6 The big Danish prisons, where *fingerprinting is an important factor. 1958 Sci. Amer. Jan. 19/3 The electrophoretic ‘fingerprinting’ technique..to distinguish the hemoglobin of men, horses and whales. |
| 1882 Friend Devonsh. Plant-n., *Fingers and Thumbs, Lotus corniculatus L., or Cypripedium Calceolus L. 1750 *Fingers-and-toes [see anbury 2]. 1812 W. Spence (title), Observations on the Disease in Turnips, termed in Holderness ‘Fingers and Toes’. 1875 W. T. Thornton in Encycl Brit. (ed. 9) I. 367 The roots present a thickened, palmated appearance, giving rise to the popular name for the disease, ‘fingers and toes’. 1883 Daily News 18 Sept. 2/5 Stunted growth..and finger-and-toe. |
| 1825 J. Nicholson Operat. Mechanic 320 Unturning the *finger-screw. |
| 1711 Puckle Club 28 Brethren in iniquity [gamesters] using *Finger-shade, Mouth-spirt, or Shoulder-dash. |
| 1882 Caulfeild & Saward Dict. Needlework, *Finger-shield, a silver appliance made to fit the first finger of the left hand..It is employed to protect the finger from the needle. |
| 1812 J. H. Vaux Flash Dict., *Finger⁓smith, a midwife. 1884 Gd. Words June 401/1 A couple of ‘finger-smiths’—pickpockets. |
| 1821 Blackw. Mag. IX. 71 Coats of finest nap, For which I ne'er receiv'd a *finger-snap. 1884 Pall Mall G. 8 Nov. 2/2, I do not value Government Reports..at a finger-snap. |
| 1882 Society 14 Oct. 12/1 The cousin's song..with a *finger-snapping accompaniment, goes very well. |
| 1858 J. Martineau Stud. Chr. 37 The *finger-speech of ceremony. |
| 1905 Westm. Gaz. 1 July 2/3 Bowlers with plenty of *finger-spin are most likely to take wickets on the mat. 1906 Ibid. 8 May 2/1 Finger-spin bowlers like Schwarz, Faulkner, and Vogler. 1927 Observer 17 Apr. 17/4 [He] only needs more power of finger-spin to be a match-winning bowler. 1938 Encycl. Brit. Bk. Yr. 623/1 It is now no longer legal [in Table Tennis] to use the finger-spin in serving. |
| 1958 Listener 16 Oct. 604/2 The wrist-spinner..is inevitably less accurate than the *finger-spinner. |
| 1884 Knight Dict. Mech. IV. 334/2 *Finger-steel, a steel instrument like a skewer or awl, used for restoring the edge of the currier's knife while in use. |
| 1686 Plot Staffordsh. 390 *Finger-Stocks; into which the Lord of misrule, used formerly to put the fingers of all such persons as committed misdemeanours. |
| 1934 S. R. Nelson All about Jazz ii. 53 When the banjo was first introduced into the dance band, the players were *finger-style performers. 1955 L. Feather Encycl. Jazz (1956) vii. 77 Plays unamplified Spanish concert guitar, finger style. |
| 1656–81 Blount Glossogr., Dactylogie, *finger-talk, speech made with the fingers. 1843 J. T. J. Hewlett College Life II. xxix, Having had the difficulties..explained to him in dumb-show and finger-talk. |
| 1855 H. Clarke Dict. s.v. Finger, *Finger-talking. |
| 1940 ‘N. Shute’ Old Captivity v. 148 Bolts were put on *finger-tight... Finally..the bolts were tightened down and locked. 1961 Lancet 19 Aug. 410/2 Retention is ensured by screwing the female end-piece fingertight over the male. |
| 1884 Knight Dict. Mech. IV. 334/2 *Finger-tray, a small pan, attached by a clasp to the finger, used by dentists for carring amalgam or plastic filling. |
| a 1680 Butler Rem. (1759) II. 393 He [an Hypocrite] is the Devil's *Finger-Watch, that never goes true, but too fast, or too slow, as he sets him. a 1718 Penn Maxims Wks. 1726 I. 842 A Finger Watch, to be set forwards or backwards, as he pleases that has it in keeping. |
| 1934 Webster, Finger wave. 1936 J. Steinbeck In Dubious Battle 299 Her hair was damp..and little, uneven *finger-waves were pressed into it. 1950 J. B. Lohle in Foan & Wolters Art & Craft Hairdressing (ed. 3) v. 267 If the natural wave is rather weak..the older type of blow dryer may be used to give a finger-wave. 1963 M. McCarthy Group xii. 286 A finger wave in her majestic coiffure. |
| 1926 Amer. Hairdresser May 6 The subject of ‘*Finger Waving’. 1932 L. Golding Magnolia St. iii. iii. 508 They were masters of the latest methods of permanent marcel, water and finger waving. |
| 1849 Rock Ch. of Fathers III. x. 354 A..rich pall of silk..the *finger-work of some queen. 1906 Practitioner Dec. 826 The great drawback of this treatment is that it..must be minutely carried out, demanding..a great deal of finger-work. 1906 Westm. Gaz. 10 Aug. 3/1 There was never before so clear an exposition of balance, of swing, and of finger-work in bowling. 1927 Observer 29 May 14/5 [His] first recital showed promise... Mozart does not suit his style: it needs better finger-work and not so much arm and body and pedal. 1967 Antiquaries Jrnl. XLVII. 208/1 Simpler finger-work,..companion thus to cord-impression. |
Add:
[I.] [3.] [a.] to give (someone) the finger (
slang,
orig. U.S.), to make a gesture with the middle finger raised as an obscene sign of contempt; hence also
fig., to dismiss, get rid of, or show contempt for (someone).
Cf. two fingers s.v. two numeral a.,
n. (
adv.) B. IV. 2.
| [1893 Funk's Stand. Dict. I. 682/2 To give one the f[inger], to disappoint one after holding out hopes that his desires would be fulfilled; turn a cold shoulder to one.] 1941 B. Schulberg What makes Sammy Run? iv. 93, I must have been a little further gone than I thought, to tell him about my studio troubles with Pancake... ‘Let me show you how to give that guy the finger,’ he said. 1974 K. Millett Flying (1975) ii. 211 Construction workers spit down insults and give us the finger. 1978 J. Mills Skevington's Daughter i. i. 17 Wayne drove past us slowly, grinning and giving us the finger. We waved back at him and gave him the finger but it was all very cheerful. 1986 Sunday Times 2 Mar. 25 This image was given a certain piquancy at her wedding,..when she both wore white and gave the finger to the paparazzi circling in helicopters above. |
[III.] [15.] finger-dry v. trans., to dry (hair) in an informal style by repeatedly running one's fingers through it; also
absol.; hence
finger-dried ppl. a.,
finger-drying vbl. n.| 1980 Hair Winter 15/2 (caption) Highlighted with several shades of colour applied with a Vent brush then *finger-dried up over the head for movement. 1983 P. Spires Boots Bk. Hair Care vi. 34 To finger dry, keep lifting the hair from the roots; the heat from your hands and the atmosphere dries the hair. Ibid., Finger and scrunch drying are great techniques for short and longer layered cuts. 1986 Woman's Realm 10 May 29/3 Howard layered Jocelyn's hair, and finger-drying brought out its natural movement. 1986 Cornishman 5 June 8/4 An advance on the razor is the new texturising technique which forms a feathery, textured look and is ideal for finger-dried styles. |
▸
finger buffet n. now chiefly
Brit. a buffet serving small items of food intended to be eaten with the fingers rather than with cutlery;
cf. finger food n. at Compounds 2.
| 1957 Washington Post 2 Dec. b5/1 The Texans will go to Bolling Air Force Base Officers Club on Sunday, December 8, when their Society holds a *finger buffet followed by dancing. 1981 Times 31 Mar. 16 ‘The Italians in England’, tickets {pstlg}6.50 including finger buffet. 2004 C. Hamilton Sublime Wedding ii. 26 The most casual styles of reception are a finger buffet (where most guests remain standing), a barbeque or afternoon tea party. |
▸
finger millet n. a kind of millet,
Eleusine coracana, originating in Ethiopia, but now widely grown as a cereal crop in arid parts of Africa and Asia; also called
ragi.
| 1914 C. V. Piper Forage Plants & their Culture xiv. 286 Ragi or finger millet (Eleusine coracana) is much grown in India as a cereal, but has never attained favor in America. 1968 Florence (S. Carolina) Morning News 18 June 7/1 The finger millet waves tiny seed tufts like outstretched hands in the summer breezes. 2005 Plant Sci. 169 657/1 Among eight minor millets, finger millet..also known as African millet, has outstanding attributes as a subsistence food crop. |
▪ II. finger, v. (
ˈfɪŋgə(r))
[f. prec. n. Cf. Ger. fingern.] † 1. trans. To point at with the finger.
Obs.| c 1450 [see fingering vbl. n. 1]. 1483 Cath. Angl. 131/2 To Finger, digitare. |
2. a. To hold or turn about in one's fingers; to put one's fingers upon, touch with the fingers; also, to do this repeatedly or restlessly.
| 1590 Spenser F.Q. iii. ii. 6 To finger the fine needle and nyce thread. 1690 Dryden Don Sebastian iii. ii, You would fain be fingering your rents beforehand. 1762 Goldsm. Cit. W. cii, In China, our women..are never permitted to finger a dice-box. 1853 Kingsley Hypatia vii. 92 Philammon, fingering curiously the first coins which he ever had handled. 1861 Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. xiii, The..crew fingered their oars. 1870 Mod. Hoyle 46 To finger the squares of the [chess-]board whilst planning your move is strictly legal but a most villanous habit. 1887 R. N. Carey Uncle Max xxx. 244 She was never weary of fingering her silks and satins. |
| fig. 1883 T. H. Green Proleg. Ethics §297 To be always fingering one's motives is a sign..of an unwholesome preoccupation with self. 1885 W. B. Yeats in Dublin Univ. Rev. Apr., For the dawn the foliage fingereth. 1929 D. H. Lawrence Pansies 61 My body need not be Fingered by the mind. 1956 Kenyon Rev. XVIII. 417 Often they [sc. skilful poets] ‘finger’ the speech flow. |
b. To touch or handle (money) with unworthy motives.
† Also
absol.| 1581 Mulcaster Positions xxxvii. 159 They [the Romains] fell to fingering [context speaks of ‘receiuing giftes and rewarde’]. 1651 Jer. Taylor Serm. for Year i. xxi. 264 It is a huge dishonour..to be too busie in fingring money in the matters of religion. 1884 Tennyson Becket i. iii. 56 The cardinals have finger'd Henry's gold. |
† c. To lay hands upon, apprehend (a person). Also to handle roughly, ‘claw’.
Obs.| 1624 Sir R. Aldworth Let. 27 Dec. in Lismore Papers (1888) Ser. ii. III. 136 The two Releeuers feighin [Fagan] and lyney [Leyne] I knowe and Dout not but to finger on Thursday next. 1670 W. Walker Idiomat. Anglo-Lat. 200 How would I finger him! Quibus illum lacerarem modis! |
3. intr. To make restless or trifling movements with the fingers (
const. at); also, to play or toy
with.
† to finger for: (
fig.) to grope for, hanker after.
| 1655 W. Gurnall Chr. in Arm. xi. (1669) 130/1 Thy heart is fingering for more of these than God allows thee. 1816 L. Hunt Rimini ii. 119 They stood with their old foreheads bare, And the winds fingered with their reverend hair. 1858 Kingsley Poems, Sappho 22 She flung her on her face..And fingered at the grass. 1869 Tennyson Pelleas & Ettarre 433 Pelleas..Fingering at his sword-handle. |
4. a. trans. To lay the fingers upon or touch with a view to plunder; to pilfer, filch. Also
const. from: To take or remove fraudulently
from.
| 1530 Palsgr. 550/2 Beware of hym, for al that he can fyngar gothe with hym. 1577–87 Holinshed Chron. III. 1136/1 So likewise did the Spanish soldiors..that could come to finger anie thing of value. 1593 Shakes. 3 Hen. VI, v. i. 44 But whiles he thought to steale the single Ten, The King was slyly finger'd from the Deck. 1655 Fuller Ch. Hist. iii. ii. §6 His Predecessors..grasp it fast in their fist, in defiance of such Popes as would finger it from them. 1693 Mem. Ct. Teckely i. 17 The Troops..took away all they could finger without paying for it. |
† b. To cheat (a person)
out of (a thing).
| 1709 Brit. Apollo II. No. 70. 2/2 Three Thornbacks..artfully finger'd me out of five Guineas. |
c. To indicate (a victim) or supply (information) to criminals; to inform on or identify (a criminal) to the police.
U.S. criminals' slang.
| 1930 Flynn's 13 Dec. 194/1 Frank Lee..had ‘fingered’ many, many dealers to the Feds. 1936 Ibid. 12 Dec. 8/2 Matt Prance has got me fingered... They're going to kill me. 1949 R. Chandler Little Sister xxxiii. 242 She's on her way back..with..the pocket money she got..for fingering her brother. 1954 H. Roth Content Assignment xxii. 139 She..couldn't finger them for any crime. |
5. a. To play upon (an instrument) with the fingers.
| 1515 Barclay Egloges iv. (1570) C iij/2 Yet could he pipe and finger well a drone. 1603 Drayton Odes i. 61 To seeke, Of Pindar that Great Greeke, To Finger it [the harp or lyre] aright. 1641 Evelyn Mem. (1857) I. 27 He had fingered an organ. 1873 C. Keene Let. in G. S. Layard Life vii. (1892) 152 A dummy bagpipe chanter..I carried in my pocket, and fingered on every possible occasion. |
b. To play (a passage of music) with the fingers used in a given way (where there is a choice of methods of execution).
c. To mark (a piece of music) with figures indicating the fingers with which the notes are to be played.
| 1816 Gentl. Mag. June 539/2 All the lessons are sufficiently fingered. 1891 Times 22 Oct. 14/2 The latest issues..of Bach's organ works..are carefully edited and fingered. |
6. a. To manipulate with the fingers, ‘to perform any work exquisitely with the fingers’ (J.);
fig. to elaborate, bestow minute labour on. Also with
up.
rare.
| 1816 J. Gilchrist Philos. Etym. 185 If they can finger up, or arrange words into..soft, smooth, pretty, insignificant composition. Ibid. 236 Addison's composition..is..carelessly irregular..but nevertheless much-laboured and fingered. |
b. intr. for pass. To be manipulated with the fingers.
| 1927 W. W. Bishop Pract. Handbk. Mod. Libr. Catal. (ed. 2) 33 The tests of a card are the cleanness and speed with which it ‘fingers’ in consultation, and the fastness of its color. |
† 7. finger out:
a. To read carefully or with effort, passing the finger along the lines.
b. To point out as with the finger.
Obs.| 1680 Jenkins in Mansel Narr. Popish Plot 101 He received all the Tryals that were printed, and had fingerd them out. 1767 W. Hanbury Charities Ch.-Langton 134 Amity of dunce with dunce, Fingers out genius all at once. |
8. finger up (nonce-use):
intr. to run up in finger-like extensions.
| 1854 Hooker Himal. Jrnls. I. xi. 264 Peninsulas, between which the misty ocean seemed to finger up like the fiords of Norway. |
Hence
ˈfingerable a. rare, that can be fingered.
ˈfingerative a., apt to ‘finger’, thievish.
ˈfingerer, one who fingers;
esp. a pilferer, thief.
| 1561 J. Awdelay Frat. Vacab. 8 A Fyngerer, an olde beaten childe, not onely in such deceites but, etc. 1674 J. Josselyn Voy. New Eng. 98 The Indians are very fingurative or thievish. 1891 G. du Maurier in Harper's Mag. Aug. 383/1 Four strings; but not the fingerable strings of Stradivarius. 1893 Scribner's Mag. May 614/2 Dencombe was..a fingerer of style. |