thumbsucker
Digit-mouthing tot
A thumbsucker is a news story or analysis piece that offers no new information—just a journalist ruminating on events already known.
The term is industry slang, mildly derogatory, suggesting the piece is self-indulgent rather than substantive: The editor killed the thumbsucker and assigned actual reporting instead.
Literally, a thumbsucker is a child who sucks their thumb.
Child learning to walk
- pacifierInfant sucking device
- infancyEarliest period of life
- blanketSoft bed covering
- nurseryRoom for infants
cradle · self-soothing · teething · bedtime · nap · weaning · comforting · lullaby
Oral opening
- salivaMouth's digestive secretion
- teethEnamel-covered chewing structures
- dentalRelating to teeth
- orthodonticRelating to teeth straightening
overbite · palate · malocclusion · braces · digit · callus · pacifier · teething
Extremely tense or anxious
- fidgetingRestless minor movements
- self-soothingCalming oneself independently
- compulsionIrresistible urge to act
- unconsciousNot awake or aware
Not fully developed
- childishImmature in manner
- naiveInnocently unsuspecting
- dependentRequiring outside support
- unsophisticatedLacking refinement or complexity
inexperienced · greenhorn · amateur · novice · wet-behind-the-ears · babyish · infantile · needy
toddler
Child learning to walk
nursery · cradle · self-soothing · teething · bedtime · nap · weaning · comforting · lullaby · developmental
mouth
Oral opening
orthodontic · overbite · palate · malocclusion · braces · digit · callus · pacifier · teething · bite
nail-biting
Extremely tense or anxious
- fidgetingRestless minor movements
- self-soothingCalming oneself independently
- compulsionIrresistible urge to act
immature
Not fully developed
unsophisticated · inexperienced · greenhorn · amateur · novice · wet-behind-the-ears · babyish · infantile · needy · insecure
thumbsuckergo-getter
Ambitious, driven person
decision-maker · man of action · self-starter · leader · grown-up