put one's finger on
Idioms-
Also, lay one's finger on.
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Identify, as in I can't put my finger on the man in that photo . [Late 1800s]
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See lay a finger on .
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s hard to put one’s finger on the cultural significance of Carlson’s conniption or Mars Wrigley’s retreat.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 23, 2023
But still it's hard to put one's finger on exactly why many people find spitting so repugnant.
From BBC • Apr. 20, 2011
Certain it is that it would have been difficult to put one's finger on the passage in which her fair fame suffered an imputation.
From The Aspern Papers by James, Henry
"It is difficult to put one's finger on the precise facts," Miss Wadsworth quavered.
From Just Patty by Relyea, C. M. (Charles Mark)
And then, of course, it is not always easy to put one's finger on just what people mean by militarism.
From Antwerp to Gallipoli A Year of the War on Many Fronts—and Behind Them by Ruhl, Arthur
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
