thumb

thumb
noun

the short, thick first digit of the human hand, set lower and apart from the other four and opposable to them
拇指
■the corresponding digit of primates or other mammals
（灵长目动物或其他哺乳动物的）第一指
■the part of a glove intended to cover the thumb
（手套的）拇指部分

verb
[with obj.]

press, move, or touch (something) with one's thumb
用拇指揿（或按、摸、顶、指、戳、擦等）
as soon as she thumbed the button, the door slid open.
她用拇指一触按钮，门就滑开了。
■turn over (pages) with or as if with one's thumb
用拇指翻动；翻阅
I've thumbed my address book and found quite a range of smaller hotels.
我翻看我的通讯录，发现里面记了一长串的小旅馆。
[no obj.]he was thumbing through USA Today for the umpteenth time.
他已经是不知第几次在翻阅这本《今日美国》了。
■(一般作 be thumbed)wear or soil (a book's pages) by repeated handling
翻旧（或翻破、翻脏）（书页）
his dictionaries were thumbed and ink-stained.
他的词典均起折角，墨汁斑斑。
■[no obj.]use one's thumb to indicate something
用拇指示意
he thumbed towards the men behind him.
他用拇指指着他后面的人。
■request or obtain (a free ride in a passing vehicle) by signalling with one's thumb
竖起拇指向过路汽车要求（免费搭乘）
three cars passed me and I tried to thumb a lift.
三辆车经过我身边，我伸出拇指想搭便车。
[no obj.]he was thumbing his way across France.
他搭乘便车行遍法国。

常用词组
be all thumbs

another way of saying be all fingers and thumbs (see finger)
同be all fingers and thumbs （见finger）

thumb one's nose at

(informal)show disdain or contempt for
(非正式)对…嗤之以鼻，蔑视

thumbs up (或down)

(informal)an indication of satisfaction or approval (or of rejection or failure)
(非正式)赞同；赞赏，满意（或否定、排斥、反对、拒绝、抛弃）
plans to build a house on the site have been given the thumbs down by the Department of the Environment.
环境部反对在这个地方建房的计划。

under someone's thumb

completely under someone's influence or control
在某人的支配（或控制）下，在某人的巨大影响之下

派生
thumbed
adjective
thumbless
adjective
语源

Old English thūma, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch duim and German Daumen, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin tumere 'to swell'. The verb dates from the late 16th cent., first in the sense 'play (a musical instrument) with the thumbs'

英语宝典

热门查询

英语宝典

考试词汇表

　