little finger

is in the role of the commanding general whenever the hand grips or seizes something.

The index finger is in complete charge of the other fingers when the hand “sails” toward an object—like the admiral’s flagship leading the squadron. And the little finger acts as commanding general whenever the hand grips or seizes 6 something. As soon as the hand strikes out as a fist, the thumb takes over: boxers’ thumbs are their most intelligent fingers. The ring finger is the animating spirit of all intertwining, supple, and intentional gestures, as in knitting, sewing, and rocking a cradle. And the middle finger dominates all the unconscious movements of the hand, when the mind is somewhere else. Command and initiative pass from one finger to the next as the whole hand requires for any of the intelligent demands it makes on its fingers at any particular moment. The concerted actions of the fingers rely on minds of different capacities located each in a different member of the hand, just as the human body is made up of an infinite variety of its own intelligent zones.

little finger, n.Definitions

little finger