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Daumen drücken
Reference material by Wiktionary contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
Daumendrücken
German
thumb|Ich drücke dir die Daumen.
Alternative forms
de Daumen halten less common
Etymology
to press one’s thumbs. Compare similar forms in other European languages.
Verb
Daumen_drücken
to make a fist with the thumb covered by the other four fingers, a gesture of luck equivalent to English "cross one's fingers"
de Ich habe das ganze Spiel lang Daumen gedrückt. I kept my fingers crossed during the whole match.
de figuratively to cross one's fingers; to wish good luck; to hope for the best de dat<for someone>
de Ich habe eine Einladung zum Vorstellungsgespräch bekommen. Drück mir die Daumen! I have received an invitation to a job interview. Cross your fingers for me!
de Ich drücke die Daumen für deine Prüfung. I wish good luck for your exam tomorrow.
Usage notes
The gesture is typically made with both hands and de Daumen is therefore usually plural, as can be seen in the second example above. It would be much less common, though not impossible, to use the singular and say: Drück mir den Daumen!
Conjugation
Daumen_drücken
Derived terms
de Daumendrücken