have a finger in every pie
have a finger in every pie
be involved in a large and varied number of activities or enterprises
RELATED IDIOMS :
be all fingers and thumbs
be clumsy or awkward in your actions – British – informal
In the mid 16th century this idea was expressed in the form each finger is a thumb.
All thumbs developed in the 19th century as an expression indicating a complete lack of dexterity.
burn your fingers = get your fingers burned = get your fingers burnt
suffer unpleasant consequences as a result of your actions.
1998 - Times - An American buyer remains a possibility, although it is not entirely clear why any would want to risk getting their fingers burnt twice.
cross your fingers
hope that your plans will be successful
trust in good luck
The gesture of putting your index and middle fingers across each other as a sign of hoping for good luck is a scaled-down version of the Christian one of making the sign of the Cross with your whole hand and arm as a request for divine protection. It is also superstitiously employed when telling a deliberate lie with the idea of warding off the evil that might be expected to befall a liar.
1998 - Spectator - Since resources were limited the only hope the clients had was to hang in there, fingers crossed.
get your finger out = pull your finger out
cease prevaricating and start to act – British informal
give someone the finger
make a gesture with the middle finger raised as an obscene sign of contempt - North American informal
Since 1976, this gesture has sometimes been called the Rockefeller Gesture after Nelson Rockefeller was seen making it on a news film.
have a finger in the pie
be involved in a matter, especially in an annoyingly interfering way.
have your fingers in the till = have your hand in the till = with your fingers in the till = with your hand in the till
stealing from your employer
have your finger on the pulse = keep your finger on the pulse
be aware of all the latest news or developments.
lay a finger on
touch someone, usually with the intention of harming them.
1993 - Tony Parker - May the Lord in His Mercy be Kind to Belfast - The one thing I'll say about my husband is he never laid a finger on the children and he never hit me in front of them.
point the finger
openly accuse someone or apportion blame.
1998 – Spectator - Reason suggests that one should point the finger at those who whipped up the emotion in the first place.
put something on the long finger
postpone consideration of something
put something off – Irish
put the finger on
inform against someone to the authorities – informal
put your finger on
identify something exactly.
1988 - Glenn Patterson - Burning Your Own – There was something about the dinette that struck him as peculiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
snap your fingers = click your fingers
make a sharp clicking sound by bending the last joint of the middle finger against the thumb and suddenly releasing it, typically in order to attract attention in a peremptory way or to accompany the beat of music.
twist someone around your little finger = wind someone around your little finger = wrap someone around your little finger
have the ability to make someone do whatever you want.
work your fingers to the bone
work very hard.
your fingers itch
you are longing or impatient to do something.
1998 - Patchwork & Quilting - There's a good gallery towards the end of the book and it will make your fingers itch to get started.
have a finger in every pie :
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