put one's finger on

English

Pronunciation

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Verb

put one's finger on (third-person singular simple present puts one's finger on, present participle putting one's finger on, simple past and past participle put one's finger on)

1. (idiomatic, chiefly in the negative) To identify, specify, name or pick out.

   There’s something wrong, but I can’t put my finger on it.

   • 2011, Derek Rosser, Earning a Crust, page 86:

     He had the quick witted imagination to put his finger right on the correct method of attacking a problem but no patience to see it through to the bitter end.

   • 2017 January 9, Robert Barnes, “High court questions why refunds aren’t automatic when a Colo. conviction is overturned”, in Washington Post:

     “Now, there’s something wrong with that,” Breyer said, to laughter. “I’m trying to put my finger on it.”

Translations

identify

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 指出 (zh) (zhǐchū), 点明 (zh) (diǎnmíng)

• Finnish: osoittaa sormella
• French: mettre le doigt sur (fr), identifier (fr)
• German: identifizieren (de), erkennen (de)
• Polish: wskazywać palcem impf, wskazać palcem pf, precyzować (pl) impf, sprecyzować (pl) pf, identyfikować (pl) impf
• Russian: показывать пальцем (pokazyvatʹ palʹcem)
• Spanish: señalar (es)
• Swedish: sätta fingret på (sv)