get the thumb

verb

To be ejected from a game or match.

“Rogers got the thumb for shoving the linesman after being called offside.”

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Meanings

verbget the thumb (third-person singular simple present gets the thumb, present participle getting the thumb, simple past got the thumb, past participle (UK) got the thumb or (US) gotten the thumb)

present singular third person gets the thumb · participle present getting the thumb · past got the thumb · UK participle past got the thumb · US participle past gotten the thumb

  1. hobbiesTo be ejected from a game or match.

    Rogers got the thumb for shoving the linesman after being called offside.

Origin

From the “point thumb over shoulder” motion prescribed in many sports as the referee signal to indicate that a player or coach has been ejected.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

get the thumb. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/get%20the%20thumb

MLA

“get the thumb.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/get%20the%20thumb. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “get the thumb,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/get%20the%20thumb.

Source: get the thumb on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.