Ten fingers, or eight and two thumbs?

Question

Giving the "middle" finger is meaningless if a thumb is involved...
...but when someone gives a thumbs up, all fingers are forgotten...
So, which is it to be?

Answer 1

i think of it at 10 fingers. we just call the finger tourds the of your body the thumb

Answer 2

Biologically speaking, ALL "fingers" are called phalanges, in regards to the bones that compose the "fingers", including the thumb. Biology makes no distinction, other than the fact that the "thumb" is aposable (not sure if I spelled that right) so..in MY opinion, we have 10 fingers AND 10 toes...but all 20 are called phalanges. Now ABOVE the fingers and toes there IS a distinction. In the hand, the bones above the phalanges would be called your carpals and metacarpals (hence where carpal tunnel syndrome comes from) and in the feet, the bones above the toes would be called your tarsals and metatarsals. But as far as the 5 things that bud off from either the metacarpals or the metaTARsals, they are both called phalanges. So...basically what I'm saying, is I think we have 10 fingers, because the bones are all called the same thing.

Answer 3

lol!
Seems like it all boils down to how you define a "finger." Little kids define it as anything that they say "finger" after, thus "index FINGER", "pinky FINGER", "middle FINGER", but not "thumb FINGER." Plus it makes for hours of hilarity asking the same "trick" question over and over and over and over....

I'm actually quite amused to see that several dictionaries define it as something like:
1. One of the five digits of the hand, especially one other than the thumb.
or
1 : any of the five terminating members of the hand : a digit of the forelimb; especially: one other than the thumb

Which implies that though the thumb IS a finger, it's not _especially_ a finger. *grin* The wikipedia article on fingers unequivocally lists the thumb as a finger and if anything, it seems like a specially placed finger rather than a non-finger. Besides which, we can't have the "middle" finger not making sense - irate drivers are upset enough, no sense adding to the fire.

Answer 4

Ten digits, collectively called fingers, individually called fingers and thumbs. Thumb has to be included as a finger or middle finger doesn't work. But isn't it interesting that we differentiate between the first digit on our hand, calling it a thumb, but don't have a special name for the first digit on our foot.

Answer 5

A mathematician would say that a thumb is technically a subset of the set of fingers; the opposable thumb is a slightly special kind of finger that other primates tend not to have. So, ten fingers.

Answer 6

LMAO
Let's see you use a pair of chopsticks properly without neither thumb or middle finger! You don't even play scissors, paper, rock, do you? Asia must be such a cultural shock for you.
ROFT

How about this? Ten fingers, some are called thumbs, pinkies...etc.

Answer 7

both are correct because thumb is first of a finger and then a thumb

Answer 8

Do his arms get stiff once you shake hands? Does he supply an entire new meaning to the previous gag, "Pull my finger! swifter!". while he factors at you, do you duck or open your mouth? in case you supply him a 'extreme 5' does he double over in soreness? i've got have been given an entire laptop of those... Is he a thumb sucker? while he does the disco 'sprinkler circulate' does he surely squirt? Do you enable him stir your drink with a finger? If he slips and pokes himself while putting on glasses, is he kockeyed? while he runs his arms by his hair, does it look like Brylcream? God please give up me! Do you get damp while he provides the peace sign? ok that one grow to be uncalled for, i'm leaving.

Answer 9

Anon,
Ok, ten fingers =

2 thumbs
2 index
2 middle
2 ring and
2 pinkies

So, ten fingers are composed of:

the above listing.

Workd?

Answer 10

My father and I argued this one out all of our lives together and we never found the answer.
He died two years ago aged 88 and I still miss him and the argument.