Butteryfingered

/ˈbʌtəriˌfɪŋɡərd/ adjective

Definition

Clumsy or prone to dropping things; having fingers as slippery as butter.

Etymology

From buttery + fingered (meaning having such fingers). Buttery became butterfingered through folk etymology and wordplay. Butter's slipperiness metaphorically represents fumbling.

Kelly Says

The term 'butterfingers' is probably NOT actually from butter being slippery—it likely originated as a nickname for specific clumsy people and stuck, showing how language often creates false etymologies.

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