Dictionary
Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.
five-finger exercise en · NOUN
Pronunciation
Meanings
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A musical composition for the piano, designed to require the use of all the fingers of the hand for the purpose of skill development.
It was the singular room which Carlyle had constructed in the hopes that he could shut out all the noises of the universe, the crowing of cocks, and the jingling of a young lady's five-finger exercise in particular.
1899, Arthur Conan Doyle, chapter 20, in A Duet:
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(broadly, figuratively) An activity which is undertaken for the purpose of skill development.
Batman Begins, the 2005 film that launched Nolan's series, was a mere five-finger exercise. This is the full symphony.
2008 July 9, Richard Corliss, “Batman Is Back—TIME Reviews The Dark Knight”, in Time:
Forms