English in a Minute: To Be All Thumbs

Each hand has one thumb. But what does it mean to be all thumbs?

A: Dan, can you help bring in the cake for the work party? It’s big.

D: Um, I’m not the best person to ask. I’m all thumbs.

A: Oh, then forget it. I don’t want anything to happen to this cake!

D: Is there anything else I can help with?

A: Sure. You can throw the bags of ice on the ground to break up the ice.

D: Yes! Like I said, I’m great at dropping things.

If you had no fingers and only thumbs, it would be really hard to do some things. You would likely drop things all the time. So, if someone is “all thumbs,” they are just a bit clumsy.

And that’s English in a Minute.