What is "to burn one's fingers"

Burn \Burn\ (b[^u]rn), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Burned (b[^u]rnd) or Burnt (b[^u]rnt); p. pr. & vb. n. Burning.] [OE. bernen, brennen, v. t., early confused with beornen, birnen, v. i., AS. b[ae]rnan, bernan, v. t., birnan, v. i.; akin to OS. brinnan, OFries. barna, berna, OHG. brinnan, brennan, G. brennen, OD. bernen, D. branden, Dan. br[ae]nde, Sw. br["a]nna, brinna, Icel. brenna, Goth. brinnan, brannjan (in comp.), and possibly to E. fervent.]

1. To consume with fire; to reduce to ashes by the action of heat or fire; -- frequently intensified by up: as, to burn up wood. ``We'll burn his body in the holy place.''
   --Shak.

2. To injure by fire or heat; to change destructively some property or properties of, by undue exposure to fire or heat; to scorch; to scald; to blister; to singe; to char; to sear; as, to burn steel in forging; to burn one's face in the sun; the sun burns the grass.

3. To perfect or improve by fire or heat; to submit to the action of fire or heat for some economic purpose; to destroy or change some property or properties of, by exposure to fire or heat in due degree for obtaining a desired residuum, product, or effect; to bake; as, to burn clay in making bricks or pottery; to burn wood so as to produce charcoal; to burn limestone for the lime.

4. To make or produce, as an effect or result, by the application of fire or heat; as, to burn a hole; to burn charcoal; to burn letters into a block.

5. To consume, injure, or change the condition of, as if by action of fire or heat; to affect as fire or heat does; as, to burn the mouth with pepper.

   This tyrant fever burns me up.
   --Shak.

   This dry sorrow burns up all my tears.
   --Dryden.

   When the cold north wind bloweth, . . . it devoureth the mountains, and burneth the wilderness, and consumeth the ??ass as fire.
   --Ecclus. xliii. 20, 21.

6. (Surg.) To apply a cautery to; to cauterize.

7. (Chem.) To cause to combine with oxygen or other active agent, with evolution of heat; to consume; to oxidize; as, a man burns a certain amount of carbon at each respiration; to burn iron in oxygen. To burn, To burn together, as two surfaces of metal (Engin.), to fuse and unite them by pouring over them a quantity of the same metal in a liquid state. To burn a bowl (Game of Bowls), to displace it accidentally, the bowl so displaced being said to be burned. To burn daylight, to light candles before it is dark; to waste time; to perform superfluous actions. --Shak. To burn one's fingers, to get one's self into unexpected trouble, as by interfering the concerns of others, speculation, etc. To burn out,

   1. to destroy or obliterate by burning. ``Must you with hot irons burn out mine eyes?''
      --Shak.

   2. to force (people) to flee by burning their homes or places of business; as, the rioters burned out the Chinese businessmen.

      To be burned out, to suffer loss by fire, as the burning of one's house, store, or shop, with the contents.

      To burn up, To burn down, to burn entirely.

Finger \Fin"ger\ (f[i^][ng]"g[~e]r), n. [AS. finger; akin to D. vinger, OS. & OHG. fingar, G. finger, Icel. fingr, Sw. & Dan. finger, Goth. figgrs; of unknown origin; perh. akin to E. fang.]

1. One of the five terminating members of the hand; a digit; esp., one of the four extremities of the hand, other than the thumb.

2. Anything that does the work of a finger; as, the pointer of a clock, watch, or other registering machine; especially (Mech.) a small projecting rod, wire, or piece, which is brought into contact with an object to effect, direct, or restrain a motion.

3. The breadth of a finger, or the fourth part of the hand; a measure of nearly an inch; also, the length of finger, a measure in domestic use in the United States, of about four and a half inches or one eighth of a yard.

   A piece of steel three fingers thick.
   --Bp. Wilkins.

4. Skill in the use of the fingers, as in playing upon a musical instrument. [R.]

   She has a good finger.
   --Busby.

   Ear finger, the little finger.

   Finger alphabet. See Dactylology.

   Finger bar, the horizontal bar, carrying slotted spikes, or fingers, through which the vibratory knives of mowing and reaping machines play.

   Finger board (Mus.), the part of a stringed instrument against which the fingers press the strings to vary the tone; the keyboard of a piano, organ, etc.; manual.

   Finger bowl Finger glass, a bowl or glass to hold water for rinsing the fingers at table.

   Finger flower (Bot.), the foxglove.

   Finger grass (Bot.), a kind of grass ( Panicum sanguinale) with slender radiating spikes; common crab grass. See Crab grass, under Crab.

   Finger nut, a fly nut or thumb nut.

   Finger plate, a strip of metal, glass, etc., to protect a painted or polished door from finger marks.

   Finger post, a guide post bearing an index finger.

   Finger reading, reading printed in relief so as to be sensible to the touch; -- so made for the blind.

   Finger shell (Zo["o]l.), a marine shell ( Pholas dactylus) resembling a finger in form.

   Finger sponge (Zo["o]l.), a sponge having finger-shaped lobes, or branches.

   Finger stall, a cover or shield for a finger.

   Finger steel, a steel instrument for whetting a currier's knife.

   To burn one's fingers. See under Burn.

   To have a finger in, to be concerned in. [Colloq.]

   To have at one's fingers' ends, to be thoroughly familiar with. [Colloq.]