A: How are things doing in your garden? You asked me for quite a few flower seeds early spring.

B: Not so good. I am all thumbs when it comes to gardening. So far, only the sunflowers have blossomed.

A: Well, be patient with the plants. Ask me anytime if you need more seeds.

B: Thank you so much!

Note: Human beings and apes have thumbs; most other animals don’t. A thumb helps the other fingers pick things up, turn dials, and do other fine motor tasks. But what if all your fingers were thumbs? You’d have a hard time picking up small objects, keyboarding a computer, doing art projects, and so on. That’s why this expression means clumsy at doing physical tasks with your hands.