the.com/thimble
a tiny metal helmet for the one finger doing all the dangerous work
means A small protective cap, usually metal or plastic, worn over the fingertip to push a needle through fabric while sewing.
from From Old English "thymel," meaning a covering for the thumb, built from "thuma" (thumb) plus a suffix marking an instrument or tool — so literally a "thumb-thing." The stray 'b' crept in later, the same uninvited guest that turned "thumb" itself bumpy; English has a habit of wedging silent b's after m. The name is a fossil of older habits: the cap was once worn on the thumb before fingers took over the job.
- name origin
- From Old English for thumb, where it once lived
- monopoly piece
- Retired in 2017 after losing a public vote
- collectors
- Thimble collecting is called digitabulism
- the dimples
- Those tiny pits stop needles from slipping off
- old craft
- Made by guilds of dedicated thimble-makers called thimblers
sewing thimble — metal or plastic cap worn on finger while sewing, used for thousands of years across cultures
thimble theatre — comic strip debuted 1919 featuring popeye the sailor man
thimble rig — street con game popular in 19th century london where operator hides ball under one of three thimbles