kai.grossjohann@uni-duisburg.de (Kai Großjohann) writes:

> (Though I think that the English idiom is to say that people have
> five thumbs on a hand, instead of that they have two left hands.  In
> German, people have two left hands instead of many thumbs ;-)
> -- 

A more common usage of American english, at least from the
Mississippi to the West Coast, and amongst working class people, is to say
some one is `all thumbs'.  Very close to your comments.