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Are fingers digits? They’re actually synonyms, even if we usually think of digits as numbers. So take a look at yours and get ready for a few trivia questions. 1. What’s the name of your smallest digit? Ring finger Index finger Thumb Pinky finger 2. Where did it come from? England France Netherlands Germany And the answers are . . .  1. The Pinky is your smallest digit. 2. It’s a Dutch word from the Netherlands.  Your pinky has a few other names, like little finger, baby finger, and fifth digit. Did you know it takes nine muscles to move it, or that most people can only bend it if they bend their fourth finger too?  The word pinkie comes from the Dutch word for pink. It means little finger, not color. It was first used in Scotland in 1808. It may be a Dutch word, but it’s used in English speaking countries like the US, the UK, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. Pinkies are used in different ways in different places. American kids pinky swear and make pinky promises. In England in the 1800s people used to hold out their pinky to drink tea, but now most people don’t. If you wear a ring on your pinky, it’s called a signet ring. Engineers in Canada and the US wear iron or stainless-steel rings on their pinkies. Who knew?  Sources: What is the name of the smallest... | Trivia Answers | QuizzClub For more info: en.wikipedia.org And now, another digit. Good luck! 3. Which digit looks different from the other four? It acts differently too. Ring finger Index finger Thumb Pinky finger 4. Do other animals have a digit like this? Yes No And the answers are . . .  3. The digit that’s different – your thumb. 4. And yes, other animals have opposable thumbs like we do. Most of them are primates.  A thumb is the first digit of your hand. 😊 In Latin it’s called a pollex. I didn’t think the thumb was a finger, but one definition says the hand has five digits, so the thumb counts. Another one says there are only four digits, so the thumb doesn’t. It’s up to you – you can call your thumb a finger, or a plain old thumb. Your thumb is like the other fingers because it has joints that bend, and it has hair, a nail, and a palm without hair. Personal note – my fingers don’t have hair, but my husband’s do. A thumb is different because it’s opposable to the other fingers, so it can touch each finger on your hand. It has two bending points, not three like the others. The thumb curls horizontally/across the hand, and the other fingers curl vertically/up and down.  Some primates have opposable thumbs like Old World monkeys and great apes. Some have opposable thumbs that are a little longer, like gibbons and lesser apes. Lemurs, pottos, lorises, capuchin and squirrel monkeys have pseudo-opposable thumbs. That means they’re almost opposable, but not quite. Tarsiers and marmosets have thumbs, but they’re not opposable. As for the spider monkey and the colobus, they’re thumb-less. Poor things! Other animals have thumbs too. Giant Pandas have a finger, that’s not a true finger, but it works like our thumb. Opossums have them on their hind feet, and most birds have at least one opposable toe on their foot. But those are toes, NOT thumbs.  Sources: Thumb - Wikipedia And now, another digit. Here’s to good luck, or pure skill 😉 5. Which digit points things out? Ring finger Index finger Thumb Pinky finger 6. How many names does it have? 6 7 8 9 And the answers are . . .  5. The pointing digit is known as your index finger. 6. My source gave me eight, including index finger.  Here are all eight names – index finger, forefinger, first finger (if you don’t count the thumb), second finger, pointer finger, trigger finger, digitus secondus, digitus II. Don’t get confused. Your index finger is the one between your thumb and middle finger. Did you know it’s usually the most agile and sensitive finger? As a pianist, it was one of my best fingers, but I didn’t know it was sensitive too.  Your index finger is SO useful! Hold it up, and you’re number 1, in most places. Some, use their thumbs instead. If you move it up and down in the #1 position, it’s called finger-wagging. I use mine to warn someone to stop, usually a kid, and they usually do. You can also point with your index finger, and babies around age 1 begin pointing too. Did you know some animals like dogs and elephants understand and respond to pointing? Or that in some places in Southeast Asia like Malaysia and Indonesia, they think it’s rude? They still point, but they use their thumb instead.  And now, another digit. May the force be with you 😉 7. Which digit wears jewelry first? Ring finger Index finger Thumb Pinky finger 8. Where should you wear it? Right hand Left hand And the answers are . . .  7. The ring finger wears jewelry first, like engagement and wedding rings. 8. The hand it’s on depends on where you live, and your religion. I thought it was always worn on the left hand until I went to Germany. Theirs goes on the right.  The ring finger has four other names – the third or fourth finger, depending on whether the thumb counts or not. It’s also called the annulary finger, which means ring finger too. The fourth, the leech finger. It doesn’t have anything to do with the leech that drinks blood. It’s about what people once believed about the circulatory system. People thought a vein ran from the ring finger to the heart, so they started wearing engagement and wedding rings there to declare their love for each other.  The wedding ring is usually worn on the left hand if you live in the British Commonwealth, parts of Europe, and in Catholic Mexico, Bolivia, and Chili. In Europe that includes France, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Switzerland, Croatia, Slovenia, Romania, and by Catholics in the Netherlands. In Spain the regions that speak Catalan use their left hands. Can you find them on the map? The ring goes on the right hand in some Orthodox countries, a few Catholic European ones, some Central and South American Catholic countries, and in Protestant Western Europe. In Eastern Europe, that includes Belarus, Bulgaria, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Russia, Serbia, and Ukraine. In Central/Western Europe that’s Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Norway, and by Protestants in the Netherlands. In Spain, the regions that speak Spanish use their right hands. In Central/South America it also includes Columbia, Cuba, Peru, and Venezuela. Can you find them on the map? In countries like Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Romania, and Brazil, they wear their ring on the right hand until the wedding. Then they move it to the left. They're on the map too.  In Islamic countries, wedding rings aren’t part of the ceremony. If you wear one, the hand you choose depends on where you live. In Iran, you use your left hand. In Jordan, the right. But now engagement rings are in style in the Muslim world. They’re worn on the ring finger of either hand by both men and women. Wow, men wearing engagement rings, so cool! In Jewish weddings it depends on the custom. For traditional ones, the ring goes on the index finger of the bride’s right hand. Other traditions put it on the middle finger or the thumb. Today the wedding ring is moved to the ring finger of the left hand after the service. Some Jewish men wear wedding rings, but most Orthodox men don’t. In India, rings aren’t one of their traditions, but as customs change, more people are buying a ring for the engagement and for the marriage. Men wear rings on the right hand, and women on the left.  Finally the last digit 😊 9. Which digit is missing? Ring finger Index finger Thumb Pinky finger 10. What sound can it make with your thumb? Clap Snap Click And the answers are . . .  9. The middle finger is the one that’s missing. 10. Slide your thumb and middle finger together and listen for that click.  The middle finger has other names – long finger, toll finger, and tall man. It’s your second or third finger, depending on whether or not you count your thumb. I never really thought about it, but your middle finger is the only one that makes a sound. None of the others do. I double checked 😊  Your middle finger is also the only one that can insult or offend someone. You might give them the finger, flip the bird, or flip someone off, but it’s nothing new. Did you know using the middle finger can be traced back to ancient Greece and Rome? Some things are timeless. 
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AuthorWhen I write, I can only have one voice in my head, mine. A little noise is fine. But too much, or worse yet, WORDS, and I must change rooms or pull out headphones. Then I can write on! Categories
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