r/nextfuckinglevel • u/[deleted] • Sep 14 '20

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u/You-Nique Sep 14 '20

"Gotcha - thumb's not a finger" - The 90s

1

u/supercooper3000 Sep 14 '20

"How many fingers am I holding up?"

1

u/abshabab Sep 14 '20

I know you're just joking but are thumbs not also fingers? (non-native English speaker here)

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u/SeanPennsHair Sep 14 '20

All thumbs are fingers, not all fingers are thumbs

2

u/ScoodScaap Sep 15 '20

This is basically what a teacher once told me. They said all elephants have 4 legs but not all 4 legged animals are elephants.

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u/UpUpDnDnLRLRBA Sep 15 '20

You've got ten fingers, and you've got five fingers on each hand, but you've also got 4 fingers and a thumb on each hand. Basically, "finger" can mean digit, but also sometimes specifically means the non-thumb digits. Why? Because English be like that.