Finger fun - idioms and slang

I began my previous post with shoplifting slang, the five finger discount, to introduce the English names of our fingers. Now that we can identify our fingers in English, let’s build our finger slang and idioms.

If you’re a fan of the five finger discount (shoplifting), then you also have sticky fingers (the habit of stealing things).

A person who is involved in too many activities or projects has their finger in too many pies. Sometimes they are so overly involved that they can’t do any of them well. In this case, they probably don’t have enough time to fully participate.

On the other hand, if you’re awkward, clumsy and have difficulty fixing things or working with your hands, you are all thumbs.

What about that pinky finger, the little finger? Did you know that it can be powerful enough to have complete control over someone? When you can manipulate a person, you have them wrapped around your little finger. Who would have thought that the pinky could be so influential?

The thumb is pretty good at controlling people too. To be obedient to someone or to be controlled by someone is to be under their thumb.

To give thumbs up (or down) communicates an indication of satisfaction or approval (or of rejection or failure). Since you’re reading this post, I give you an enthusiastic thumbs up!

Our fingers

A five-finger discount is slang for shoplifting. It’s a funny way to describe this criminal action and a great way to introduce the subject of fingers.

Do you know the names for each finger in English? The middle finger and the ring finger are easy to remember: the middle finger is the one in the center of all the fingers and the ring finger is the finger next to the little finger. On the left hand, it’s where the wedding ring is worn.

Have you ever wondered how the thumb, index finger, and pinky got their names? Actually, our fingers were named in a very logical way:

• The thumb, our thickest finger, comes from the Old English word, thūma, meaning thick.
• The index finger literally means pointing finger and originates from the Latin word index which means point (noun). The index finger is also sometimes called the pointer finger or the forefinger.
• The little finger is called the pinky because it comes from the Dutch word pink meaning the little finger. 

Now that you know their names, don't use your five fingers for a five-finger discount ;)

American culture: bluegrass music

Bluegrass is a kind of folk music that's related to country music, and it shares the same roots as the traditional music of the Appalachian region of the U.S. This type of music was influenced by Irish and Scottish ballads, and later by the music of African-Americans through the incorporation of blues and jazz elements. The songs often reflect life on the farm or in the hills.

The feature that distinguishes bluegrass from mainstream country music is its “high lonesome sound,” a vocal style that often gives even happy songs a suggestion of bleakness (sadness).

Bluegrass music’s distinctive sound is characterized by other traits as well:

1. Its focus on vocals. High-pitched and close-harmony vocals dominate, with a notable "high lonesome" lead voice as the focal point.

2. Another important feature of this style is the use of acoustic instruments over electric ones, which often include the mandolin, fiddle, guitar, banjo, and bass guitar. In fact, slaves from Africa brought the design idea for the banjo--an instrument now integral to the bluegrass sound.

3. Finger picking of rapid notes and improvisation by the musicians is another recognizeable element of bluegrass where each musician takes a turn in playing the melody, much like in jazz music.

Enough reading, how about listening? For an example of excellent bluegrass, click here and enjoy the music by the Dillards, an American bluegrass band, singing the song “Dooley”. (Dooley is a mountain man who made illegal alcohol.)