butterfingered
- adjective
- /ˈbʌtərˌfɪŋɡərd/
- Informal
:
torpe
- The butterfingered chef spilled flour all over the kitchen while trying to bake a cake.
Examples
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Because he was so butterfingered, he dropped the vase as soon as he picked it up.
-
Even the most butterfingered players can improve with practice and attention to detail.
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He is so butterfingered that he drops everything.
-
My butterfingered friend spilled coffee all over the table!
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He was so butterfingered that he dropped his phone twice in one day.
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After he spilled juice all over the floor, everyone called him butterfingered.
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The butterfingered waiter accidentally broke three glasses during his shift.
Synonyms
12
2.2
Difficult to hold or carry because of large, awkward shape
7
7.3
Acting awkward and clumsy in movement or when handling things
6
4.8
Not able to move with control so movements look clumsy
5
8.6
Clumsy and not good with their hands
3
6.5
Clumsy with your hands when you try to do things
3
8.3
Not careful and clumsy when using hands or doing tasks
1
6.3
Clumsy when using the hands, often dropping or breaking things
1
6.8
Clumsy and not skilled, often making mistakes
Not good with your hands and clumsy
Clumsy with hands when doing simple tasks
Antonyms
How Clumsy
Surface Forms
Morphology
butterfingered = butterfinger (semi-transparent) = butter + finger + ed
Formed from the idiomatic compound 'butterfinger' plus the adjectival '-ed'; the metaphor 'butter on the fingers' suggests slipperiness leading to dropping things, but the idiomatic sense 'clumsy' is not fully predictable for all learners.
Etymology
The word butterfingered comes from the simple idea of having 'butter' on your fingers, so things slip easily from your hands. So a butterfingered person is clumsy and likely to drop things.