idioms - What's the meaning of "get one's finger in the air"?


Could anyone give me an explanation of the meaning of "get one's finger in the air" and the usage of it?



Answer



You "get your finger in the air" means to "go with the crowd", "go with the flow". You want to see, where the wind is coming from - usually by wetting the finger before. A person "putting his finger in the air" is unlikely to come up with original, individual ideas or solutions. And decisions are made unscientifically, without backing evidence.


Examples:



The "finger in the air" approach to enterprise-wide IT where you have no clear view of cost or quality is to go with Microsoft.


Stick a finger in the air of local politics these days, and you'll probably detect a strong wind pushing against new health care reform efforts like Measure ...



See here.


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