lay a finger on

verb

To merely touch.

“If you lay a finger on my little brother, I'll have your guts for garters.”

OriginMiddle English fynger on →
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Meanings

verblay a finger on (third-person singular simple present lays a finger on, present participle laying a finger on, simple past and past participle laid a finger on)

present singular third person lays a finger on · participle present laying a finger on · participle past laid a finger on · past laid a finger on

  1. colloquialidiomaticTo merely touch.

    If you lay a finger on my little brother, I'll have your guts for garters.

  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see lay, a, finger, on: to finger

Origin

  1. Middle Englishfynger on“touch (someone) with hostile intent”
  2. Englishlay a finger on

From Middle English fynger on (hem) to leyn (“touch (someone) with hostile intent”).

More words from Middle English

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

lay a finger on. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lay%20a%20finger%20on

MLA

“lay a finger on.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lay%20a%20finger%20on. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lay a finger on,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lay%20a%20finger%20on.

Source: lay a finger on on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.