From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Fumble \Fum"ble\, v. t.
To handle or manage awkwardly; to crowd or tumble together.
--Shak.
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Fumble \Fum"ble\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Fumbled}; p. pr. & vb. n.
{Fumbling}.] [Akin to D. fommelen to crumple, fumble, Sw.
fumla to fusuble, famla to grope, Dan. famle to grope,
fumble, Icel. falme, AS. folm palm of the hand. See {Feel},
and cf. {Fanble}, {Palm}.]
1. To feel or grope about; to make awkward attempts to do or
find something.
[1913 Webster]
Adams now began to fumble in his pockets.
--Fielding.
[1913 Webster]
2. To grope about in perplexity; to seek awkwardly; as, to
fumble for an excuse. --Dryden.
[1913 Webster]
My understanding flutters and my memory fumbles.
--Chesterfield.
[1913 Webster]
Alas! how he fumbles about the domains.
--Wordsworth.
[1913 Webster]
3. To handle much; to play childishly; to turn over and over.
[1913 Webster]
I saw him fumble with the sheets, and play with
flowers. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
fumble
n 1: (sports) dropping the ball [syn: {fumble}, {muff}]
v 1: feel about uncertainly or blindly; "She groped for her
glasses in the darkness of the bedroom" [syn: {grope},
{fumble}]
2: make one's way clumsily or blindly; "He fumbled towards the
door" [syn: {fumble}, {blunder}]
3: handle clumsily
4: make a mess of, destroy or ruin; "I botched the dinner and we
had to eat out"; "the pianist screwed up the difficult
passage in the second movement" [syn: {botch}, {bodge},
{bumble}, {fumble}, {botch up}, {muff}, {blow}, {flub},
{screw up}, {ball up}, {spoil}, {muck up}, {bungle}, {fluff},
{bollix}, {bollix up}, {bollocks}, {bollocks up}, {bobble},
{mishandle}, {louse up}, {foul up}, {mess up}, {fuck up}]
5: drop or juggle or fail to play cleanly a grounder; "fumble a
grounder"
|
