Object

• lift: At the end, you'll be pleased you thumbed a lift.

• nose: So keep you eyes open for Episcopal Church thumbs nose at Communion stories tomorrow.

Converse of object

• twiddle: I don't expect a response for at least a month so i guess it's back to twiddling thumbs.

• dislocate: Brian Welham suffered the dislocated thumb, but pluckily kept going, even tho he finished near the back of the fleet.

• give: Zimbabwe was given a big thumbs down by the miners.

• get: MySQL 5 gets a major thumbs up from me.

Adjective modifier

• opposable: You owe the Oracle a can opener that doesn't require an opposable thumb.

• sore: They would stand out like a sore thumb at a fancy dress party!

• resounding: The interim results from the PMlifeline online poll gives a resounding thumbs up to web based training.

• broken: Don't hack, or we will alert Tank and expect broken thumbs.

• definite: Brilliantly done - it's a definite thumbs up from us.

• left: For example, I touch my left thumb to my little finger.

Modifies a noun

• nail: One had an infant bird in it that was no bigger then a thumb nail!

• screw: No hefty pump arms, slim, sleek and stripped with just two thumb screws.

• piston: Combination thumb pistons: 2 to Great, 2 to Swell.

• tack: I wasn't so much cutting as scratching I started with a thumb tack and moved to safety pins.

• piano: These will include the Ugandan thumb piano and xylophone as well as West and East African drumming and dancing.

• hook: Sharp-eyed players might notice something slightly unusual about the thumb hook.

Followed by an intransitive particle

• through: With 275 mostly color photographs to thumb through, it's a lovely looking insight into the models design origins and development history.

Preposition: with

• hammer: If you hit your thumb with a hammer when great aunt Edith is in the room what do you say?