put the finger on someone
put the finger on (one)
To identify and accuse one of doing something; to inform on one to an authority figure. Don't you dare put the finger on me! I had nothing to do with the deal going sour. I fear my life is in danger now that I've put the finger on the mob boss.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
put the finger on someone
If you put the finger on someone, you tell someone in authority that they have done something wrong or blame them for something bad. A lot of people will point to the defeat and put the finger on the head coach. Their report put the finger on diesel pollution.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
put the finger on someone
tv. to identify someone (for someone else, such as the police). (Underworld.) Tyrone put the finger on the killer, then got out of town fast.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.