all thumbs

1. Clumsy or awkward: “Where plumbing is concerned, Walter is all thumbs.”

Idioms and Phrases

Physically awkward, especially with respect to the hands, as in When it comes to knitting, Mary is all thumbs . The notion of this idiom derives from a proverb in John Heywood's collection of 1546: “When he should get aught, each finger is a thumb.”

Related Words

• bulky
• heavy-handed
• inept
• ponderous
• ungainly
• unwieldy