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The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms INTRO ...

The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms INTRO ...

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am all thumbs when it comes to threading needles. 3 give<br />

(something) the thumbs down or turn thumbs down (on). disapprove<br />

(<strong>of</strong>), reject, rebuff, turn down: We turned thumbs down to the<br />

idea <strong>of</strong> a picnic. 4 turn or give thumbs up (to). approve (<strong>of</strong>),<br />

accept, welcome, Colloq OK or okay: <strong>The</strong> boss gave thumbs up to<br />

our request for a Christmas party. 5 under (one's) thumb. under<br />

(one's) control, wrapped (a)round (one's) little finger, in the<br />

palm <strong>of</strong> (one's) hand, eating out <strong>of</strong> (one's hand), at (one's)<br />

beck and call: She has the directors under her thumb.<br />

--v. 6 hitchhike, Colloq hitch, US hook a ride: <strong>The</strong>y thumbed<br />

their way across the country. 7 Often, thumb through. leaf<br />

(through), flick or flip (through), riffle (through), skim<br />

(through), browse (through): I was thumbing through City Life<br />

and came across your picture, Bernard! 8 thumb (one's) nose at.<br />

sc<strong>of</strong>f at, deride, jeer at, mock, dismiss, scorn, flout, be<br />

contemptuous <strong>of</strong>, show contempt for, exhibit defiance for, be<br />

defiant <strong>of</strong>, contemn, Brit cock a snook at: He has thumbed his<br />

nose at authority all his life.<br />

thumbnail adj. rough, undetailed, cursory, sketchy, superficial; brief,<br />

short, quick; compact, concise, pithy, succinct: His poetry is<br />

a chilling, thumbnail sketch <strong>of</strong> the way we live now.<br />

thumping adj. 1 great, huge, colossal, stupendous, gigantic, enormous,<br />

immense, monumental, massive, titanic, elephantine, behemoth,<br />

gargantuan, mammoth, jumbo, Colloq whopping, thundering,<br />

walloping: That is the biggest thumping beach ball I have ever<br />

seen! That was a thumping lie. 2 complete, utter, unmitigated,<br />

24-carat, perfect: <strong>An</strong>yone who would turn down a salary increase<br />

must be a thumping idiot.<br />

thunder n. 1 roll, reverberation, boom, booming, roar, roaring,<br />

pealing, rumble, rumbling; crash, crashing, crack, cracking,<br />

explosion, blast: We were deafened by the thunder <strong>of</strong> the tanks<br />

crossing the bridge above us.<br />

--v. 2 roll, reverberate, boom, roar, rumble, resound; explode,<br />

crash, crack, blast: <strong>The</strong> noise <strong>of</strong> the jets thundered through<br />

the valley. 3 shout, yell, scream, bellow, bark, roar;<br />

denounce, fulminate against, swear (at), rail (at), curse (at),<br />

execrate; threaten, intimidate, menace: 'Fee, fie, foe, fum!'<br />

thundered the giant. No secretary will tolerate his thundering

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