RULES OF THUMB

The thumb is the short, thick finger on your hand, the one that helps you hold things.

Thumb Nouns
The noun “thumb” is used in a lot of expressions:
To give someone the thumbs up/down,
to give someone approval/disapproval)

Thumb Verbs

Thumb is also used as a verb.
To thumb a ride (informal) to hitchhike; to try to get a ride by standing on the road sticking out your thumb.

Thumb Idioms
Here are some idioms with thumb. Can you guess their idiomatic meanings by thinking about their literal meanings?

To stick out like a sore thumb:
Betty sticks out like a sore thumb in that yellow dress. Everyone else is wearing blue. In other words, Betty looks very different from everyone else; she looks a little foolish.

A green thumb:
He has a green thumb. He is good at making plants grow. Everything in his garden flourishes.

A Rule of Thumb: (a practical rule) “You should pay your best attention to the Tips of Grammar as well as The Rules of Thumb listed in every issue of this BULLETIN. HC