John flicked a worry bead across the top of his well-manicured thumb, making a click that was beginning to irritate Ashley.
What does it mean to flick a worry bead?
"Worry beads" are a string of beads which you hold in your hand and flick each bead from one end of the string to the other, one at a time (each one represents a worry or a concern you have). They're originally Greek, I think, and are called "komboloi". They look a little like a rosary. Many old Greek men can be seen sitting outside a kafeneion (cafe), drinking ouzo and with their worry beads in their hands, constantly moving the beads one at a time around the string.
John had a set of worry beads in his hand and was making one of the beads move across the top of his thumb, making it click against the next bead in an annoying way.
Komboloi can be seen
here
