thumb up

plural thumbs up

1. rareRare form of thumbs up.

   The fact is that the reader is now just interested in a thumb up or thumb down from the critic. And that's no way to criticize theater.

   1996 June 2, Peter Marks, quoting Vincent Canby, “On Broadway and Off, a Seesaw Season”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 26 May 2015

   5 more examples

   Bob Arum, the promoter, said that Dakin had been signaling the English corner after each round with a thumb up, to say Minter had won the round on his scorecard.

   1980 March 18, Michael Katz, “Antuofermo to Protest Scorecard; Vote Called Embarrassing Loser Hardly Marked”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 03 Feb 2026

   Exploiting a member's indecision are lobbyists who station themselves outside the House and Senate chambers and signal members with a thumb up or a thumb down.

   1983 June 29, Martin Tolchin, “Time to Vote: The Sound and the Fury”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 24 May 2015

   His was the most irrational response to a local cameraman since 1989, when Mark Jackson was wheeled out of a hospital following knee surgery. A Brooklyn kid out of St. John’s and at that time a Knick, Jackson was a favorite son of New York. Surely, he’d smile and give a thumb up.

   2005 January 14, Phil Mushnick, “Randy behavior – Moss’ antics reveal moon-atics”, in New York Post, New York, N.Y.: News Corp, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 03 Feb 2026

   They tell the story, the meta-story, of what happened when they opened the book and began to read the story. It’s not as sexy as a thumb up or a thumb down, but then again we’re suffering from a surfeit of thumbs.

   2012 May 9, Lev Grossman, “Confessions of (Another) Book Reviewer”, in Time, New York, N.Y.: Time Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 03 Feb 2026

   The account shared pictures of the 44-year-old model wearing a $4,007 playsuit and asked whether it deserved a thumb up or a thumb down.

   2018 June 27, Carly Stern, “Having the last laugh? Stefano Gabbana trolls Instagram account that accused him of ripping off another designer by selling a $500 T-shirt that features his demand for an apology”, in Daily Mail, London: DMG Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 02 Feb 2026