thumb
/θʌm/noun
उच्चारण थम
अँगूठा
Basic wordPYP · asked 3 times
Asked in previous papers
as idiom
- 1
[C]
the short thick finger at the side of the hand, slightly apart from the other four
अँगूठा
- a thumb impression
- He pressed his thumb on the ink pad before signing the register.
- She hurt her thumb while closing the car door.
+ 2 more examples
- The baby sucks her thumb when she is sleepy.
- He gave a thumbs-up sign with his thumb to show it was fine.
- 1
[T, I] ~ through sth
to turn the pages of a book quickly in order to get a general idea of what is in it
(पन्ने) पलटना
- She thumbed through the magazine.
- I thumbed through the catalogue while waiting at the bookshop.
- He thumbed through the old album, looking for his school photo.
+ 2 more examples
- Students thumbed through the textbook to find the right chapter.
- I thumbed through a few newspapers at the library.
§Structures (grammar patterns) 5
thumb (countable noun)
A thumb is the short thick finger of the hand; in English it is not counted among the four fingers.
'Thumb' हाथ की छोटी मोटी उँगली है; अंग्रेज़ी में इसे चार fingers में नहीं गिना जाता।
- Radhika hurt her thumb while closing the door.
- He has a ring on his thumb.
with / using your thumb
To say the thumb was the tool, use with or using; by is not used for the part of the body.
यह बताने के लिए कि अँगूठा साधन था, 'with' या 'using' आता है; शरीर के अंग के लिए 'by' नहीं लगता।
- She pressed the button with her thumb.
a thumbs-up / thumbs-down
Thumbs is plural and takes a: give a thumbs-up for approval, a thumbs-down for rejection.
'Thumbs' plural है और इसके साथ 'a' आता है: स्वीकृति के लिए a thumbs-up, अस्वीकृति के लिए a thumbs-down।
- The board gave the plan a thumbs-up.
rule of thumb / under sb's thumb
A rule of thumb is a rough guide from experience; under someone's thumb means controlled by them, and sb's comes before thumb.
'Rule of thumb' अनुभव पर आधारित मोटा अनुमान है; 'under someone's thumb' का अर्थ किसी के नियंत्रण में है, और sb's शब्द thumb से पहले आता है।
- As a rule of thumb, revise every chapter three times.
- He lives under his uncle's thumb.
thumb through / thumb a lift (verb)
Thumb through a book means to turn its pages quickly; thumb a lift means to ask for a ride by raising the thumb.
'Thumb through a book' का अर्थ किताब के पन्ने जल्दी पलटना है; 'thumb a lift' का अर्थ अँगूठा उठाकर सवारी माँगना है।
- She thumbed through the magazine in the waiting room.
- They thumbed a lift to the next village.
+Collocations 4
adjective + thumb
leftrightsoreswollenbruised
- He bandaged his sore thumb.
verb + thumb
hurtsuckpress withraisetwiddle
- The baby sucks her thumb when she is sleepy.
thumb + noun
printnailruleringdrive
- The clerk took his thumb print on the form.
thumb + particle
throughupdowna lifta ride
- The audience gave a thumbs-up to the singer.
“More examples 5
- The farmer signed the paper with his thumb print.
किसान ने काग़ज़ पर अपने अँगूठे के निशान से हस्ताक्षर किए।
- Radhika thumbed through her notes before the viva.
राधिका ने मौखिक परीक्षा से पहले अपने नोट्स के पन्ने पलटे।
- She gave me a thumbs-up when I came out of the exam hall.
परीक्षा-कक्ष से बाहर आने पर उसने मुझे अँगूठा उठाकर संकेत दिया।
- He cut his thumb while chopping onions.
प्याज़ काटते समय उसका अँगूठा कट गया।
- Typing with one thumb is slow.
एक अँगूठे से टाइप करना धीमा होता है।
!Common mistakes 3
✗ As a thumb rule, drink eight glasses of water a day.
✓ As a rule of thumb, drink eight glasses of water a day.
The fixed idiom is rule of thumb; thumb rule is not standard English.
स्थिर मुहावरा 'rule of thumb' है; 'thumb rule' मानक अंग्रेज़ी नहीं है।
✗ She pressed the button by her thumb.
✓ She pressed the button with her thumb.
A part of the body used as a tool is introduced by with.
औज़ार की तरह प्रयुक्त शरीर के अंग के लिए 'with' आता है।
✗ He lives under thumb of his uncle.
✓ He lives under his uncle's thumb.
The idiom needs the possessive before thumb: under sb's thumb.
मुहावरे में thumb से पहले possessive चाहिए: under sb's thumb।
¶Idioms 7
thumbs up/down
used to show that sth has been accepted/rejected or is a success/failure
मंज़ूरी/नामंज़ूरी, हाँ/ना का इशारा
- The plan has been given the thumbs up.
- The committee gave the proposal the thumbs down.
under sb's thumb
(of a person) completely controlled by sb
किसी के अंगूठे के नीचे, पूरी तरह किसी के क़ाबू में
- He's completely under his elder brother's thumb.
- She keeps her staff under her thumb.
stick out like a sore thumb
to be very noticeable in an unpleasant way
अलग से खटकना, साफ़ अलग दिखना
- The modern building sticks out like a sore thumb in the old town.
- In my suit, I stuck out like a sore thumb at the picnic.
be all (fingers and) thumbs
to be awkward with your hands
हाथों से काम करने में अनाड़ी होना
- I'm all thumbs when it comes to sewing.
- He was so nervous that he was all fingers and thumbs.
thumb a lift/ride
to ask for a free ride from a car driver by signalling with your thumb
(अँगूठा दिखाकर) मुफ़्त सवारी माँगना
- We thumbed a lift to the next town.
- He thumbed a ride from a truck driver.
bite your thumb at sb
to insult sb by putting your thumb between your teeth and flicking it towards them
किसी को अपमानजनक इशारा करना, किसी का अपमान करना
- In the play, a servant bites his thumb at the rival family to start a quarrel.
- In Shakespeare's time, biting your thumb at someone was a serious insult.
have a green thumb
to be good at making plants grow (the British form is 'have green fingers')
बाग़वानी में माहिर होना
- Radhika has a green thumb, and her balcony is full of flowers.
- My grandfather had a green thumb and grew all our vegetables.
§Grammar and usage
Thumb, /θʌm/, with a silent b.
Thumb, /θʌm/, silent b के साथ।
“Collocations, idioms and sayings
Rule of thumb (a practical method based on experience, not exact calculation), all fingers and thumbs (clumsy with your hands), under sb's thumb (completely controlled by somebody), thumbs up or down (approval or disapproval), green thumb or fingers (skill at growing plants).
Idioms बहुत पूछे जाते हैं: rule of thumb (सटीक गणना के बजाय अनुभव पर आधारित व्यावहारिक तरीका), all fingers and thumbs (हाथों से अनाड़ी), under sb's thumb (किसी के पूरे नियंत्रण में, अँगूठे के नीचे), thumbs up या down (स्वीकृति या अस्वीकृति), green thumb या fingers (पौधे उगाने का कौशल)।
✓In the exam
General knowledge
Mythology: Ekalavya gave his right thumb to Dronacharya as guru dakshina.
पौराणिक कथाओं में एकलव्य ने द्रोणाचार्य को गुरु दक्षिणा में अपना दाहिना अँगूठा दिया।