lift a finger

English

Alternative forms

• raise a finger

Etymology

Compare Matthew 23:4.

Verb

lift a finger (third-person singular simple present lifts a finger, present participle lifting a finger, simple past and past participle lifted a finger)

1. (figuratively, chiefly in the negative) To make minimal effort; to help as little as possible.

   She lets me do all the work and never lifts a finger to help.

   • 1973, Kenya National Assembly Official Record (Hansard): June 12 - July 27, page 904:

     They weep when they see the country being so much exploited and yet nobody lifts a finger.

   • 2004, Gerald Shapiro, Little men: novellas and stories, page 6:

     You've known about it all along, you haven't lifted a finger, so don't come crying to me. I don't have time for it.

   • 2005, Larry T. McGehee, B. J. Hutto, Southern Seen: Meditations on Past and Present, page 80:

     Lifting a finger to greet is dangerous because it may make us feel guilty about not lifting a finger to help.

   • 2022, Carolyn Purnell, Blue Jeans, Bloomsbury, →ISBN, page 44:

     Distressed jeans bear all the signs of exertion, while the consumer never has to lift a finger. What could be more luxurious than that?

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see lift,‎ finger.
   • 2010, Katharine Rapoport, Violin For Dummies‎^[1]:

     So if your next note involves lifting a finger, you need to plan to lift the finger promptly to above its spot on the string so that it's ready to play again at any time.

Translations

to make minimal effort

• Finnish: panna tikkua ristiin, laittaa tikkua ristiin
• French: lever le petit doigt (fr)
• German: (mostly used in the negative) Finger krumm machen
• Hungarian: a kisujját sem mozdítja
• Italian: muovere un dito
• Japanese: 指一本動かす (yubi ippon ugokasu)
• Latin: prōferō digitum
• Polish: (used in the negative) palcem nie kiwnąć (pl) pf, palcem nie ruszyć pf
• Romanian: (negative only) mișca un deget
• Russian: (mostly used in the negative) уда́рить па́льцем о па́лец (udáritʹ pálʹcem o pálec), уда́рить па́лец о па́лец (udáritʹ pálec o pálec)
• Spanish: mover un dedo (mostly used in the negative), no dar un palo al agua ((only used in the negative))
• Swedish: lyfta ett finger (mostly used in the negative)
• Turkish: parmağını bile kıpırdatmamak (tr)

See also

• stroke of work