trigger finger

American  

noun

1. any finger, usually the forefinger, that presses the trigger of a gun.

2. either forefinger, depending on which hand is dominant.

3. Pathology. difficulty in straightening or bending a ring finger, caused by inflammation and thickening of its tendon.

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Etymology

Origin of trigger finger

First recorded in 1820–30

Example Sentences

A shooter must maintain constant forward pressure on the weapon with the non-shooting hand, and constant pressure on the trigger with the trigger finger, according to court records.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 6, 2023

Netflix has gone from saving canceled shows to axing series like “1899” after a single season, like an old-time broadcaster with an itchy trigger finger.

From New York Times • Jan. 6, 2023

Cardona’s Papa Calaca, macho and sinister yet singing and bantering, is the one who directs Quixote to Rosario’s, where Pancho Villa’s pickled trigger finger is kept in a jar.

From Washington Post • Sep. 17, 2021

“The stance, the way they’re holding the rifles, the trigger finger, how’s it’s flat and laying outside the trigger guard,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 3, 2021

I remember standing at an end window of our Quonset hut for a very long time, looking oid at the slanting, dreary rain, my trigger finger itching imperceptibly, if at all.

From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger