Green’s Dictionary of Slang

to be very conspicuous or obvious.

1875		Oakland Trib. (CA) 4 Mar. 2/3: The new Court-house dome may stick out like a sore thumb, yet it is nevertheless ‘way up’.
1878		Memphis Dly Appeal (TN) 13 June 4/5: ’Twould cause the eyes of Rutherford to stick out a mile and a half.
1885		Bulletin (Sydney) 25 July 14/3: There was a fifty pound note ‘sticking out’ a mile for him if he would have only pretended to box; but the Melbourne man couldn’t see it.
1889		McCook Trib. (NE) 22 Feb. 2/1: At this moment our faithful Ylang Ylang came in with eyes sticking out like a sore thumb.
1899		Buffalo Courier (NY) 12 Feb. 6/3: Out West [...] everyman has an individuality that sticks out like a sore thumb.
1909		Indiana Gaz. (PA) 18 June 5/3: The quality of ‘Tidal Wave’ sticks out like a sore thumb.
1919		T.A. Dorgan in Zwilling TAD Lex. (1993) 78: Well I got that dog in the fifth at 20 to 1. I couldn’t miss him — He stuck out a mile.
1929		Dundee Courier 2 Oct. 8/2: The winner certainly does not stick out a mile.
1930		Eve. Teleg. 18 Apr. 6/3: He has ‘done himself proud’ [...] and at the same time avoided making it stick out ‘like a sore thumb’.
1934		Wodehouse Right Ho, Jeeves 103: It was a sensational renunciation and stuck out like a sore thumb. [Ibid.] 105: It sticks out a mile. There’s no other possible solution.
1937		P. Cheyney Dames Don’t Care (1960) 115: One thing is stickin’ out a foot an’ that is that Henrietta found out that the original bonds [...] was gone.
1949		F. Brown Dead Ringer 153: A midget can’t hide; he’s too small to hide. He sticks out like a sore thumb.
1949		Hull Dly Mail 30 Mar. 3/6: Why do the Food ministry wait until facts stick out a mile before they act?
1957		Tatler (London) 1 May 263/1: We [...] have our sentimentalities too [...] but those of the Victorian period stick out like a sore thumb.
1958		Edmonton Jrnl (Alberta, Can.) 24 Nov. 13/1: [advert] Standard Iron and Engineering warehouse steel service ‘sticks out a mile’.
1960		C. MacInnes Mr Love and Justice (1964) 53: So we’re easy to spot [...] Stick out a mile, you’d say.
1960		Wodehouse Jeeves in the Offing 181: There’s a flaw in your story that sticks up like a sore thumb.
1961		M. Braly Felony Tank (1962) 53: The country’s not built up much, you stick out like a fly on a wedding cake.
1970		(con. 1941) R. Beilby No Medals for Aphrodite 163: You tall blokes stick out like a wart on a Hebrew’s nose.
1978		P. Theroux Picture Palace 279: Huxley sticking out like a sore thumb among the bellowing movie marquees, the clip joints and dives.
1984		‘Derek Raymond’ He Died with His Eyes Open 33: Stick out like a sore thumb at a wedding.
1986		R. Beckett Dinkum Aussie Dict. 48: Sticks out like dog’s balls: It does.
1986		R.G. Barrett Godson 26: ‘I’ve never spoken to them, but it sticks out like dogs’ knackers what they’re up to’.
1993		Age (Melbourne) Extra 2 Oct. 5/4: I’d go to London or America and I’d stick out like dog’s balls.
1998		R.G. Barrett Mud Crab Boogie (2013) [ebook] They’ll stick out like a dog’s knackers in those red tracksuits.
1999		Guardian Guide 26 June–2 July 61: The kilts, frills, cheekbones, blue eye shadow [...] stuck out like a sore thumb.
2003		Observer Rev. (London) 5 Jan. 14/3: Bob is a neutral observer of Panhandle oddity, though he himself ‘sticks out a mile’.
2008		Eve. Herald (Dublin) 26 July 59/3: When the first round gets under way the world’s number one no-show will stick out like a sore thumb.
2015		Jrnl. News (Hamilton, OH) 28 Oct. 14/2: ‘That 10 per cent sticks out like a sore thumb’.
2021		P. Papathanasiou Stoning 139: [of Muslims] ‘They stick out like dogs’ balls.’ ‘Who do?’ ‘They do. Them’.