'To burn one's fingers' definitions:

Definition of 'To burn one's fingers'

From: GCIDE
  • Burn \Burn\ (b[^u]rn), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Burned (b[^u]rnd) or Burnt (b[^u]rnt); p. pr. & vb. n. Burning.] [OE. bernen, brennen, v. t., early confused with beornen, birnen, v. i., AS. b[ae]rnan, bernan, v. t., birnan, v. i.; akin to OS. brinnan, OFries. barna, berna, OHG. brinnan, brennan, G. brennen, OD. bernen, D. branden, Dan. br[ae]nde, Sw. br[aum]nna, brinna, Icel. brenna, Goth. brinnan, brannjan (in comp.), and possibly to E. fervent.]
  • 1. To consume with fire; to reduce to ashes by the action of heat or fire; -- frequently intensified by up: as, to burn up wood. "We'll burn his body in the holy place." --Shak. [1913 Webster]
  • 2. To injure by fire or heat; to change destructively some property or properties of, by undue exposure to fire or heat; to scorch; to scald; to blister; to singe; to char; to sear; as, to burn steel in forging; to burn one's face in the sun; the sun burns the grass. [1913 Webster]
  • 3. To perfect or improve by fire or heat; to submit to the action of fire or heat for some economic purpose; to destroy or change some property or properties of, by exposure to fire or heat in due degree for obtaining a desired residuum, product, or effect; to bake; as, to burn clay in making bricks or pottery; to burn wood so as to produce charcoal; to burn limestone for the lime. [1913 Webster]
  • 4. To make or produce, as an effect or result, by the application of fire or heat; as, to burn a hole; to burn charcoal; to burn letters into a block. [1913 Webster]
  • 5. To consume, injure, or change the condition of, as if by action of fire or heat; to affect as fire or heat does; as, to burn the mouth with pepper. [1913 Webster]
  • This tyrant fever burns me up. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
  • This dry sorrow burns up all my tears. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]
  • When the cold north wind bloweth, . . . it devoureth the mountains, and burneth the wilderness, and consumeth the ??ass as fire. --Ecclus. xliii. 20, 21. [1913 Webster]
  • 6. (Surg.) To apply a cautery to; to cauterize. [1913 Webster]
  • 7. (Chem.) To cause to combine with oxygen or other active agent, with evolution of heat; to consume; to oxidize; as, a man burns a certain amount of carbon at each respiration; to burn iron in oxygen. [1913 Webster]
  • To burn, To burn together, as two surfaces of metal (Engin.), to fuse and unite them by pouring over them a quantity of the same metal in a liquid state.
  • To burn a bowl (Game of Bowls), to displace it accidentally, the bowl so displaced being said to be burned.
  • To burn daylight, to light candles before it is dark; to waste time; to perform superfluous actions. --Shak.
  • To burn one's fingers, to get one's self into unexpected trouble, as by interfering the concerns of others, speculation, etc.
  • To burn out, (a) to destroy or obliterate by burning. "Must you with hot irons burn out mine eyes?" --Shak. (b) to force (people) to flee by burning their homes or places of business; as, the rioters burned out the Chinese businessmen.
  • To be burned out, to suffer loss by fire, as the burning of one's house, store, or shop, with the contents.
  • To burn up, To burn down, to burn entirely. [1913 Webster]

Definition of 'To burn one's fingers'

From: GCIDE
  • Finger \Fin"ger\ (f[i^][ng]"g[~e]r), n. [AS. finger; akin to D. vinger, OS. & OHG. fingar, G. finger, Icel. fingr, Sw. & Dan. finger, Goth. figgrs; of unknown origin; perh. akin to E. fang.]
  • 1. One of the five terminating members of the hand; a digit; esp., one of the four extremities of the hand, other than the thumb. [1913 Webster]
  • 2. Anything that does the work of a finger; as, the pointer of a clock, watch, or other registering machine; especially (Mech.) a small projecting rod, wire, or piece, which is brought into contact with an object to effect, direct, or restrain a motion. [1913 Webster]
  • 3. The breadth of a finger, or the fourth part of the hand; a measure of nearly an inch; also, the length of finger, a measure in domestic use in the United States, of about four and a half inches or one eighth of a yard. [1913 Webster]
  • A piece of steel three fingers thick. --Bp. Wilkins. [1913 Webster]
  • 4. Skill in the use of the fingers, as in playing upon a musical instrument. [R.] [1913 Webster]
  • She has a good finger. --Busby. [1913 Webster]
  • Ear finger, the little finger.
  • Finger alphabet. See Dactylology.
  • Finger bar, the horizontal bar, carrying slotted spikes, or fingers, through which the vibratory knives of mowing and reaping machines play.
  • Finger board (Mus.), the part of a stringed instrument against which the fingers press the strings to vary the tone; the keyboard of a piano, organ, etc.; manual.
  • Finger bowl Finger glass, a bowl or glass to hold water for rinsing the fingers at table.
  • Finger flower (Bot.), the foxglove.
  • Finger grass (Bot.), a kind of grass (Panicum sanguinale) with slender radiating spikes; common crab grass. See Crab grass, under Crab.
  • Finger nut, a fly nut or thumb nut.
  • Finger plate, a strip of metal, glass, etc., to protect a painted or polished door from finger marks.
  • Finger post, a guide post bearing an index finger.
  • Finger reading, reading printed in relief so as to be sensible to the touch; -- so made for the blind.
  • Finger shell (Zool.), a marine shell (Pholas dactylus) resembling a finger in form.
  • Finger sponge (Zool.), a sponge having finger-shaped lobes, or branches.
  • Finger stall, a cover or shield for a finger.
  • Finger steel, a steel instrument for whetting a currier's knife. [1913 Webster]
  • To burn one's fingers. See under Burn.
  • To have a finger in, to be concerned in. [Colloq.]
  • To have at one's fingers' ends, to be thoroughly familiar with. [Colloq.] [1913 Webster]