¦ noun each of the four slender jointed parts attached to either hand (or five, if the thumb is included).
?a measure of spirits in a glass, based on the breadth of a finger.
¦ verb
1. touch or feel with the fingers.
2. (usu. finger someone for) informal, chiefly N. Amer. inform on to the police.
identify or select.
3. Music play (a passage) with a particular sequence of positions of the fingers.
mark (music) with signs indicating the fingering.
Phrases
be all fingers and thumbs Brit. informal be clumsy.
pull one's finger out Brit. informal cease prevaricating and start to act.
get one's fingers burned (or burnt) (or burn one's fingers) suffer unpleasant consequences as a result of one's actions.
give someone the finger N. Amer. informal make a gesture with the middle finger raised as an obscene sign of contempt.
have a finger in the pie be involved in a matter.
have (or keep) one's finger on the pulse be aware of the latest trends.
lay a finger on touch (someone), especially with the intention of harming them.
put the finger on informal inform on.
put one's finger on identify (something) exactly.
snap (or click) one's fingers make a sharp clicking sound by bending the last joint of the middle finger against the thumb and suddenly releasing it.
Derivatives
-fingered adjective
fingerless adjective
Origin
OE, of Gmc origin.