2. To play with the thumbs, or with the thumbs and fingers;
as, to thumb over a tune.
3. To soil or wear with the thumb or the fingers; to soil, or
wear out, by frequent handling; also, to cover with the
thumb; as, to thumb the touch-hole of a cannon.
He gravely informed the enemy that all his cards had
been thumbed to pieces, and begged them to let him
have a few more packs. --Macaulay.