Thursday, November 03, 2005

Cliché: he’s all thumbs

(entered for Thursday, Nov. 3, 2005)

Meaning: he is clumsy
Rewrite 1: he’s all toes
Rewrite 2: he has a hand full of thumbs
Rewrite 3: he has the agility of a brick glove

Comment: This one’s about awkwardness and creating the visualization of someone with physical limitations.


More reading about clichés
What I found when I
googled “clichés”:
Top 10 Game Clichés: “After nearly 200 issues of gaming goodness, we've noticed that the more things change, the more they stay the same.”

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I always thought this cliche was in the same vein as describing a blind date, "He's really smart!"

Seriously though, I think the connotation of the cliche is negative, as in addition to being clumsy, he is deformed as all get out.

Poor guy. I certainly wouldn't go out with him.

Booksville Bookclub said...

King Leo: "...in addition to being clumsy, he is deformed as all get out."
That's an interesting interpretation. It kind of gives you shivers down the spine, doesn't it? The original connotation was about being clumsy, but given the way language morphs over time, I suppose it could take on the deformity meaning.