thumb

1. (transitive)To touch or cover with the thumb.

   to thumb the touch-hole of a cannon

   мусо́литьmusólitʹ

2. (transitive)To turn the pages of (a book) in order to read it cursorily.

   thumb through

   I thumbed through the book and decided not to bother reading it all.

   durchblättern

   листа́тьlistátʹ, проли́стыватьprolístyvatʹ, перели́стыватьperelístyvatʹ

3. To gesture with the thumb, for example when flagging a ride.

4. To hitchhike.

   So I started thumbin' back east, toward my hometown.

5. To soil or wear with the thumb or the fingers; to soil, or wear out, by frequent handling.

6. To manipulate (an object) with the thumb; especially, to pull back the hammer or open the cylinder of a revolver.

7. To fire (a single action revolver) quickly by pulling the hammer while keeping the trigger depressed.

1. Tom gave Mary two thumbs up.

   Том показав Мері два великих пальці вгору.

   ruТом показал Мэри два больших пальца вверх.

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2. He seems to be all thumbs.

   ruТакое ощущение, что у него руки не из того места растут.

   deEr scheint zwei linke Hände zu haben.

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3. He has her under his thumb.

   ruОн держит её на коротком поводке.

   deSie steht unter seinem Pantoffel.

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4. She has him under her thumb.

   ruОн у неё под каблуком.

   deEr steht unter ihrem Pantoffel.

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5. Tom gave Mary a thumbs-up.

   ruТом показал Мэри большой палец вверх.

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regular · Lesson

• thumb downTo get (a passing vehicle) to stop and give one a ride, signalling to the driver by holding out one's thumb (as a hitchhiker).
• thumb throughTo use one's thumb to quickly flip through the pages of a book, magazine, etc., especially without reading them thoroughly or at all.