By the Pricking of My Thumbs - Definition

By the Pricking of My Thumbs is the first half of a line in William Shakespeare's play Macbeth. Uttered by the Second Witch, the line reads:

By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes.
Open, locks,
Whoever knocks!
(Act 4, Scene 1)

The notion of a pricked thumb came from ancient Rome. It was said by seers that palpitations of the heart, the flickering of the eye and the pricking of a thumb were all warnings of evil. In particular, a pricking sensation in the left thumb was very worrisome.

By the Pricking of My Thumbs is a 1968 novel by Agatha Christie. It features recurring characters Tommy and Tuppence, a detective duo used by Christie far less often than Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple. The couple, who originally appeared as a version of Jazz Age youth, make their first appearance since the Second World War, a married couple in their 70s - as was Christie at the time.

Pricking - Example Usage