English

Adjective

sore-thumbish ‎(comparative more sore-thumbish, superlative most sore-thumbish)

1. (idiomatic) Distinct in a way that draws negative attention; out of place; conspicuous.
   • 1989, Plays and Players, Issue 425, page 37:

     Many of the serious bits, by contrast, were slow and sore-thumbish, abounding in what the New Yorker used to call cries we doubt ever got cried, like 'that man Robespierre will go far.'

   • 2004, Paul McFedries, Word Spy: The Word Lover's Guide to Modern Culture, Broadway Books (2004), ISBN 9780767918077, unnumbered page:

     In a neighborhood of modest bungalows, tearing down an existing house and shoehorning a multistory, 5,000-square-foot behemoth into the same lot makes the new home stick out in a sore-thumbish way.

   • 2007, Sonya Sones, What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (2007), ISBN 9780689876028, page 77:

     It looks so what-am-I-doing-here?,

     so sore-thumbish, so entirely out of place,

     among all these ancient ivy-covered buildings,

     that it kind of reminds me of a UFO.

     Or of an alien.

   • For more examples of usage of this term, see Citations:sore-thumbish.