point the finger at

point the finger at (one)

To indicate that one is guilty of (doing) something; to blame or accuse one of (doing) something. She'll say that she doesn't blame anyone, but I know that, in her heart, she points the finger at me. Now, I'm not pointing the finger at anyone in particular, but someone here has been stealing food from the communal refrigerator.
See also: finger, point
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

point the finger at someone

Fig. to blame someone; to identify someone as the guilty person. Don't point the finger at me! I didn't take the money. The manager refused to point the finger at anyone in particular and said that everyone was sometimes guilty of being late.
See also: finger, point
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

point the finger at

Attach blame to, accuse, as in When they asked her who broke the window, she pointed the finger at Tom. Also see put the finger on.
See also: finger, point
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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References in periodicals archive ?
Normally, each party tries to point the finger at the other over budgetary impasses, but the president complicated that strategy for Republicans during an extraordinary December 11 White House meeting with Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Vaughan said that he hates it when captains point the finger at players, which is one of the things that he wants changed in the game, adding that Clarke has done the same on a number of occasions and needs to stop it.
It is dumb to point the finger at the government and generalise.
But both the Czechs and Scotland need the points to qualify so we have to take both games seriously so nobody can point the finger at us."
SORRY to point the finger at my own trade, but no soldier's life should be lost defending journalists on war's front line.
Holt wasted a golden chance to claim all three points against More cambe, but skipper Coughlan refused to point the finger at their 26-goal striker.
ALL five suspects in Clare's attempted murder - Calvin, Louise, Max, OB and Warren - are released without charge, but then the devious schemer wakes from her coma and is quick to point the finger at Warren.
"England have some great headers of the ball, so why not ask them to man mark and point the finger at anyone who lets their man score?"
But he did point the finger at the official for "making a lot of mistakes the other way," culminating in denying Arjen Robben a clear-cut spot-kick in the closing minutes after he was fouled.
Because you keep referring to the "womenpriests" group, you point the finger at womenpriests.org.
In the days of hanging, I suspect if this was the case then no-one would have gone to the gallows because there would always have been a ready syndrome to point the finger at.
And, upon arriving at his new club, he was quick to point the finger at his previous employers, vowing to help Atletico revive their glory days.
These two deserve each other: But as my mother used to say, When you point the finger at someone, there are three pointing back at you.
Let me point the finger at these six companies, though, as taking a laudable step forward in consideration of the customer.
* Twice as many people blame retailers for sweatshops compared to four years ago, but a growing majority still point the finger at manufacturers, according to a Marymount University poll released in January.