じぷたさんを知る人はたくさんいるはず。大阪の人です。
で、上の質問をわたしにメールで投げかけてきました。
答を知っている人もいるでしょうが、じぷたさんはまさに finger と
「指」 の違いを土台にした文章に出会って、「目から鱗が落ちる」
経験だったようです。
わたしは外国語を知る一つの醍醐味はそういう「目から鱗体験」だと
思います・・・
Hello, Sakai sensei!!
Thank you for answering a question quickly.
I knew you had already known the answer.
But, I wanted to ask the question !!
Because it is 目からうろこが落ちる for me.
Now, I read “Hannah Swensen” series.
When I read “Blueberry Muffin Murder”(Vol.3), the question was written it.
I copy them.
“Look, Aunt hannah. Isn’t Danny wonderful?” Tracey looked up and smiled.
“He’s got all his toes. Francine took his booties off so I could count.”
Hannah laughed. “Does Danny have all of his fingers?”
“Oh, yes. He has eight and that’s just right.”
“Not ten?” Hannah couldn’t resist teasing her niece a bit.
“Of course not, Aunt Hannah. You know that people have only eight fingers.
The other two are thumbs.”
“That’s right. I was just testing you. Thumbs aren’t fingers.”
When I read Hannah’s question “Not ten?” I thought Tracey’s answer was incorrect.
She was too little to answer correctly.
Then I read the following sentence. My mind was blank・・・・. I was thinking, thinking, thinking.
“Oh, My goodness!!” 目からうろこが落ちる
In truth I didn’t remember finger’s English words correctly.
I remembered all finger’s English words correctly in this time.
I never forget them!!
Three Hannah Swensen’s books arrive from Amazon tomorrow.
When it happen to similer situations, I send a mail.
Jiputa
finger は日本の指と違うところが（少なくともわたしの知っている限りで）
二つあります。
一つは 手の親指は finger ではなく thumb と呼ぶこと。
ただ、上の引用にもあるように、thumb を finger と呼ぶ場合もあるようです。
もう一つは 足の 「指」 は finger ではなく、すべて toe と呼びます。
おもしろいですねえ・・・
じぷたさん、みなさん、こういう「目から鱗体験」をぜひ報告してください！
じぷたさん、ありがとう！
そして、Enjoy your Hannah Swensen mysteries!
And write back soon!!