have one's finger on the pulse

English

Alternative forms

• have (one's) fingers on the pulse

Verb

have one's finger on the pulse (third-person singular simple present has one's finger on the pulse, present participle having one's finger on the pulse, simple past and past participle had one's finger on the pulse) (intransitive, see usage notes)

1. To understand (something) well.

   The marketing firm I use has its finger on the consumers' pulse.

   He has his finger on the pulse of his company, and thinks he needs to hire a few more people in sales and get rid of a few from research and development.

   • 2023 May 26, Natasha Harding, Alexandria Dale, “Kate Middleton just re-wore her Alexander McQueen baby pink trouser suit”, in Women's Health‎^[1]:

     Kate's choice to don her pink suit again now, at the height of the Barbiecore trend, shows the royal really does have her finger on the pulse. That, paired with her statement belt and the fact pearls are having a real fashion moment (courtesy of the Met Gala) is three big ticks from us.

Usage notes

• As in the example sentences given above, this is often used as either have one's finger on the pulse of [something] or as have one's finger on [something]'s pulse.
• The object is generally an organization, a demographic, or some other group of people.

Translations

to understand something well

• French: prendre le pouls (fr)
• Italian: sentire il polso