VLVL2 (15): "trigger-finger"

[dedalus204 at comcast.net]

366.17:  "He's only the ceremonial trigger-finger, just a stooge, same as Frenesi" [...]

In its context, "trigger-finger" is a good example of the rhetorical device of synecdoche:

http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-syn1.htm


Interestingly, it's also a medical condition:

Trigger finger is caused by a thickening on the tendon catching as it runs in and out of the sheath. The most common cause is tenosynovitis. You can often feel this swelling in the palm as you move the finger. The system is very similar to bicycle brake cable. If the wire becomes bent or rusty, the brakes work badly. There are two ways of treating the problem.

http://www.pncl.co.uk/~belcher/trigger.htm

http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/fact/thr_report.cfm?Thread_ID=168&topcategory=Hand