fat finger
/ˈfæt ˈfɪŋɡɚ/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.33 in modern English
16
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A supposed cause of typographical errors, especially keyboard errors, caused from erroneous key presses or typing errors on touchscreen devices.
Humorous; Informal
verb
Alternative form of fat-finger (“to type (something) erroneously on a keyboard, keypad, or touchscreen by accidentally pressing with a finger one or more keys other than the intended one”).
Example Sentences
- "The first subcategory is what I choose to call Fat Fingers Syndrome. This is a problem obviously caused by poor typing techniques which result in a single finger striking two keys instead of one. [...] The opposite of the fat finger problem is what I call simply the Missed Key(s). This can also result in the writing of real (but wrong) words, such as "rod" for rode or "trace" for trance."
- "The London Stock Exchange is to enhance the measures it has in place to ensure ‘fat finger’ trades do not occur."
- "Although it appeared to be triggered by unrest in Greece, the real cause could be a trader's "fat fingers.""
- "The Securities and Exchange Commission is on the case, pursuing a lead that a "fat finger" keystroke error on a trade in Procter & Gamble, one of the 30 stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, turned a trade of millions into a trade of billions."
- "A typical operational risk that needs to be countered is the ‘fat finger’ where, in stressful and fast-moving markets, a trader might key in a wrong order. There are numerous examples where such an order moved the market and generated a loss for the executing firm. A fat finger limit will prevent a portfolio manager keying in a trade with a size beyond a particular trigger level."
- "Maximum quantity limits help prevent human and algorithmic "fat finger" errors by enforcing the maximum order sizes and trading positions."
Etymology
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈfæt ˈfɪŋɡɚ/
- British English: /ˈfæt ˈfɪŋɡə/