(Discover even more words in The Writer’s Body Lexicon.)

Trekkies Understand

Spock’s fingers formed the renowned “Live long and prosper” Vulcan salute. William Shatner shared a more down-to-earth thought: “Fate gives you the finger, and you accept.”

Whether you include fingers in your narrative as implements or emotion beats, you’ll find helpful ideas in the second installment of this two-part post about describing fingers.

Colors to Describe Fingers

Fingers usually share the same color as a character’s hands. But maybe you want to make them a different color. What would cause the difference? Fingerless gloves, stains, sunburn, alien DNA …

B to Y
black, black-and-blue, blue, brown, bruised, coal-black, crimson, dark, dusky, freckled, golden, grey/gray, green, olive, orange, pale, pallid, pink, purple, red, red-tipped, roseate, rosy, ruddy, sallow, soot-black, sunburnt, tanned, tawny, white, yellow

See also 1000+ Ways to Describe Colors or the Color/Tone section of 300+ Words to Describe Skin.

Scents

Do your characters tell the truth? If a man claims he hasn’t been to the bar, but his fingers smell like beer and pretzels, his spouse might smell a lie.

A woman who is allergic to peanuts might suffer an anaphylactic reaction when she gets a whiff of peanut butter as she adjusts her scarf. Is someone trying to kill her? Warning! Murder via peanut is an overdone machination. How about an allergy to something unusual?

Fingers might retain the scent of onions for hours or even days after handling. Likewise for gasoline, pine cleaner, or bleach.

Browse the following for more possibilities.

A to C
aftershave, alcohol, apple pie, bacon, beef jerky, beer, birthday cake, bleach, bologna, a boyfriend, cabbage, celery, cheese, churros, cilantro, cinnamon buns, coffee beans, crab, crayons

D to O
death, diesel, dry-cleaning fluid, a dye pack in money, an ex, firecrackers, fish guts, gasoline, a girlfriend, glue, grass, hay, henna, horse manure, hot dogs, ink, an inner tube, jalapeno, a lead pencil, lobster, mildew, onion

P to Y
pancakes, peanut butter, pennies, peroxide, pickles, pine cleaner, popcorn, pretzels, rancid butter, rancid lard, rancid meat, root beer, rotten eggs, rust, sauerkraut, snuff, sour milk, stinky denims, swamp gas, tacos, tangerines, tear gas, tiramisu, tobacco, tomatoes, topsoil, vanilla milkshake, vinegar, weed, wet earth, worms, yogurt

See also the Scent section of 400+ Words to Describe Hair.

Shapes

Unless your character’s fingers are unusual, their shape is usually inconsequential. However, if you need descriptors, try these.

B to W
bulbous, cigar-shaped, conical, cylindrical, globular, hooked, nubby, ovate, pointed, round, sausage-shaped, spade-shaped, spatulate, spikey, square, tapered, tubular, webbed (syndactyly)

See also the Fingernails section of 400+ Words to Describe Hands.

Verbs (1): Transitive

Fingers might burst through plastic film, disappear into water, or encircle a walking stick. In each case, the verb takes a direct object. Careful, though. Too much independent action by body parts will anthropomorphize them or render them cartoonish.

A to B
abstain from, ache (from, with), aim (at, toward), alight on, allow, avoid, ball up (into), beat (against, on), beckon, belong to, broadcast, brush (across, against, along, back, over, up), bump (against, into), burst (through)

C
cake with, caress, catch (on), cause, choke, cinch, circle, clamp (around, down on, onto), clasp (around), claw (at), clench (around, into, on), cling to, clutch (around, at), coil (around), cup, curl around, curve around

D and E
dance (across, on, over), dangle (over), dawdle (in, on), dent, descend (into, onto), dial, dig (at, beneath, in, into, up), dip (inside, into), disappear (behind, into), dive into, draw, drift (across, down, over, toward), drill (into), drip (onto, with), edge (across, down, into, over, up), emerge (from, out of), encircle, enclose, encounter, end up (in, on), engage, enter, explore

F and G
fail to, fasten, feel (for), fight (into, through), find, fit into, flick (against), float (over, toward), flutter over, fly (across, over, toward, up), follow, fondle, frame, fumble (about, at, in, with), fuss with, gain, gesture (at, toward), glide (along, over, under), gouge, grab (at), grapple (with), grasp, graze (across, over), grind (at, into), grip, grope (at, for), guide

H to L
hammer (at, on), handle, hesitate, hit, hook (on), hover over, hurry (across, over), inch (across, close to, into, over, toward), indicate, invade, investigate, invite, irritate, itch for, jab (at), jut out of, land on, latch onto, leaf through, leave, lie (across, on, over, under), linger (above, against, on, over, under), linger on, locate, lock (around, together), long (for, to), loop (around, over, under), loosen

M to P
manipulate, mark, measure, meet, mold, move (across, over, through, toward, under), navigate, nudge, obey, occupy, ooze (with), outline, pat, paw (at, through), peel, pen, penetrate, persist, pick (out, through), pierce (through), pin, pinch, play with, pluck (at), plug, plunge into, poke (at, into, through), pound (against, at, on), probe (for), prod, protrude (from, out of), pry (at), puncture, push (against, aside, at, down, into, up, through)

R
race (across, over), rake (across, down, over, up), rap (against, at, on), reconnect (with), reenter, remain (atop, below, in, on, under), remove, resume, riffle (through), rip, roam (across, into, over), rouse, rove (across, into, over), ruffle, rummage (around, through)

Sc to Sl
scoop (up), scrabble (across, at, for), scrape, scratch (at, behind), scrub, scud (across, into, over), scurry (across, into, over), scuttle (across, into, over), search (for, through), seek (out, through), seize, sense, settle (atop, in, on), shoot (across, over, up), shush, sift (through), signal, sink (down, into), skate (across, along, over), skim (across over), skitter (across, over, through), slide (across, down, into, onto, over, through, under, up, up to)

Sn to Sw
snake (over, through, under), snatch (at, for), sneak (over, into, through), speed (across, into, over, through), spider (across, down, into, over, through), stab (at), start to, stay (atop, on), stick (against, between, in, on, up), stop (against, at, in, on), strain (against, toward), strangle, stray (away from, toward), strike, stroke, struggle (over, toward, with), strum, suggest, summon, support, surround, sweep (over, through)

T
take, tantalize, tap (at, on), tear (at, away, out, through), tease, tend to, tense (around), test, thread through, threaten, thrill, thrum (against, on), thrust (at), tickle, touch, toy with, trace (across, around, down, over, up), trail (across, around, down, over, up), travel (across, around, down, into, onto, over, up), tug at, tunnel (between, into, through), type (on)

W to Z
wander (across, along, into, onto, over), weave (across, around, into, through), wedge into, whirl (across, into, over, through), work at, worm (across, around, into, through), worry, wrap around, wrestle with, write, yearn for, zip (across, around, into, through)

Verbs (2): Intransitive

Many of the verbs in these sections can be switched.

For instance: Fingers can crack. They could be so strong that they crack nuts. Or a character might crack them when nervous.

A to I
ache, act up, appear, bend (backward), bleed, blister, bloat, clench, contract, convulse, crack, cramp, crunch, curl, dry, entwine, expand, extend, falter, fidget, freeze, fuse (together), glisten, grow, harden, heal, interlock, intertwine, itch

J to W
judder, jump, knit, overlap, pulse, quiver, reappear, roughen, separate, shake, shine, shrivel, slacken, slow, sparkle, spasm, split, stick together, stiffen, sting, stink, stir, strengthen, sweat, swell, throb, tingle, tremble, twitch, vanish, vibrate, wriggled, wrinkle, writhe

Verbs (3): Verbs That Take Finger or Fingers as an Object

These verbs allow characters, animals, etc., to perform actions on fingers.

For example:

She bound his fingers with tape before forcing on his boxing gloves.

He drummed his fingers on the table and stared at the wall.

The dog nibbled on her fingers, tasting, testing, before accepting her proffered treat.

A to C
abrade, amputate, angle (across, up, down), arch, arrange, assess, bandage, bare, bind (with), bite into, blanch, bleach, blow on, bounce (against, on), brandish, break, bunch (into), burn, bury (in, under), chop off, clean, clench (together), close (around), comb (through), contort, count, cover (with), cross, crush, curl, cut (off)

D to H
dab (at, in), dampen (with), decorate (with), detach (from), display, dot (with), drag (across, over), drape (on, over), drop (into, onto), drum (on), ease (back, up), embed (in), etch (with), fan (out), fiddle with, flex (around), flip, fold (around), force (into, through), form (in, into), free (from), gather, glue (to), hang (down, over), hold (out, together, up), hurt

I to O
ignore, insert (into), interlink, interlock, intertwine, jam (between, into), jerk (across, away from, down, up), join, kiss, kneed, lay (across, on, over, under), lick, lift (up), link, lower, lubricate, maneuver, mash, massage, moisten (with), nibble at, nibble on, nick, nip, open

P
paint, part, pass (above, over, through, under), peck at, pinch (together), place (atop, in, on, over), plant (atop, in, on, over), point (at, down, toward, up), poise (above, against, over), press (against, down, into, together, up), prick, pull (apart, back), put (on, together)

R
raise, reach (across, around, down, for, into, over, toward, under, up), rearrange, relax (on), release, rest (atop, in, inside, on), retract (from), return (to), reveal, roll (into), rub (against, at, behind, over), run (along, down, over, under)

Sc to Sm
scorch, set (atop, in, on), sever, shape (into), shift (into, onto), shove (into, through), show (to), shut, skin, slam (against, onto), slash, slice (off, through), slip (between, down, inside, into, over, through), smash (against, into), smear (with), smudge (with)

Sn to Sw
snag (on), snap, snare (in), spear (into, through), spiral (around, in), splay, sprawl, spread (apart, out, over), spread (wide), squeeze (together), steady, steer (toward), still, straighten, stretch (out, toward), suck on, swirl (in)

T to Y
tangle (in, together), thrust (into, through, toward), tighten (around, on), trap (in), tuck (between, into), twirl (around), twist (around, together), unclench, uncurl, unfold, unlace, wag, waggle, warm (above, in front of, over), wave, wield, wiggle, wipe, withdraw (from), write on, yank

Nouns

Although finger or fingers is usually the best option, you might have occasion to use one of the following words or phrases instead.

A to W
appendages, claws, crooks of the fingers, dactyls, digits, distal interphalangeal (DIP) joints, ear cleaners, feelers, finger joints, fishhooks, hooks, interphalangeal (IP) joints, nose pickers, phalanges, phalanxes, pinchers, pinkies, pinky, pointers, pokers, talons, tentacles, ticklers, witch’s claws

Props

A well-chosen prop can augment or transform your storyline. Look carefully — you might find a few story prompts in this section.

A to G
accordion, amputation, animal bite, arthritis, bandage, blister, boat tiller, braiding, bruise, burn, candlewax, cat scratches, crocheting, cut, cyst, dislocation, engagement ring, epinephrine injector, eraser, fingerprint, friendship ring, frostbite, gash, gauntlet jewelry, gloves, gout, guitar frets, guitar pick

H to R
human bite, insect bite, keyboard, knife, knitting, laser pointer, mallet finger, match, measles, nail polish, oars, origami, paintbrush, pencil, piano keys, plasticine, pliers, putty, rheumatism, rude gestures

S to X
saxophone keys, scab, scabies, scald, scissors, seatbelt, sign language, signet ring, splint, stains, steering wheel, Super Bowl ring, sutures, syringe, tatting, tattoos, thimble, trigger, trigger finger (stenosing tenosynovitis), violin bow, wart, wedding band, x-ray

See also the Props section of 400+ Words to Describe Hands.

Clichés and Idioms

Try to restrict clichés and idioms to dialogue unless they match the voice of your narrator. Consider replacing them with alternatives like the following.

able to count on the fingers of one hand: few, infrequent, rare

all fingers and thumbs: awkward, clumsy, inept

butterfingers: bungler, klutz, lummox

caught with one’s fingers in the cookie jar: busted, culpable, guilty

itchy trigger finger: carelessness, foolhardiness, imprudence

sticky-fingered: crooked, larcenous, thieving

to cross one’s fingers: hope, pray, wish

to have a finger in every pie: balance, juggle, multitask

to keep one’s finger on the pulse of something: monitor, supervise, track

to lay a finger on: hit, threaten, touch

to not lift a finger: laze, loaf, lollygag, vegetate

to point a finger at: accuse, blame, implicate

to put one’s finger in the dyke: alleviate, assuage, mitigate

to put one’s fingers in the till: embezzle, pilfer, steal

to slip through someone’s fingers: elude, escape, evade, fail

to tick off on one’s fingers: enumerate, itemize, tally

to wear one’s fingers to the bone: labor, slog, toil

to wrap (someone) around one’s little finger: control, dominate, inveigle, master

See also 1300+ Ways to Describe Fingers Part 1.