Thumbs up

The Latin name digitus primus manus, translates as the first digit of the hand, the thumb. My daughter uses ‘the first digits’ of both her hands on her cell phone with lightning speed, be it texting, posting on social media, or sending mail.

Gaming consoles are designed specifically with thumb usage in mind. The digital disabilities related to tendon issues due to overuse of the thumb have been christened texter’s thumb or gamer’s thumb.

No harm has been reported until now from having a green thumb. My friend Alice, who is quite a gardener, can breathe new life into wilting plants with the magic touch of her green thumb. In contrast, yours truly is endowed with a brown thumb, which turns the green plants brown. So, I follow the strict thumb rule of ‘live and let live untouched’, when it comes to gardening.

Also Read | Tech takeover of jobs: Threats, prospects

Anatomically, the thumb is unique. While the other four fingers have two joints and three bones called phalanges (or phalanxes), a thumb only has one joint and two phalanges.

The position of the thumb also sets it apart. It is out to the side of the hand and lower than the four fingers. Due to its unique position and proportional length, the thumb is firmly in contact with the other fingers when they come together. This is the crucial support lent by the first digit to other digits in performing coordinated hand movements for precise use of tools.

It’s not uncommon that many just thumb through the book and never get to reading at all. Musicians thumb over a tune, guitarists aspire to develop their thumb’s thump (a deep tonal sound), and hitchhikers thumb their way to get a ride. The surgeons use the thumb forceps, held between the thumb and index finger, to manipulate tissues during surgery or dressing the wound. Thumb sucking (or non-nutritive sucking) is a natural, instinctive behaviour among babies to comfort and soothe themselves. Graphic designers use thumbnail pictures to manage a group of larger images. The perfect thumbnails are also the cherry on top for the social media page to garner more clicks.

The thumbs-up emoji has served as an innocent symbol of assent in the wonderful digital world’s language for decades. Let me hasten to add that Gen Z is giving a big thumbs down for its usage because, for some reason, they consider this emoji to be passive-aggressive and rude.

The thumb may be a common feature among humans, but its ‘impression’ makes each person unique. We were told that education will change the thumb impression into a signature, but technology will change a signature into a thumb impression in the form of biometrics.

Finally, “What has four fingers and a thumb but no hand?” The answer may be hiding in the ‘glove’ compartment.