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Hand Gesture: A motion of the limbs made to express or help express thought or to emphasize speech. A form of non-verbal communication.
MIDDLE FINGER The Middle Finger, as of western culture, is an obscene hand gesture used to express thought upon a person, a thing or an opinion. The gesture holds a lot of power and is very offensive towards many. The Middle Finger has several meanings including “Fuck you” and “Fuck off”, either or it is still depicted as being extremely rude. Holding up the Middle Finger dates back to Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, and was meant to represent the phallus, with the curled up fingers either side representing the testicles. The sign was a symbol of anal intercourse, in a manner meant to degrade, intimidate and threaten the individual receiving the gesture. In Greek the gesture was known as the Katapugon. The Romans referred to the sign as Digitus Impudicus, meaning the shameless, indecent or offensive finger.
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TWO FINGERS Two Fingers or ‘The Two-finger Salute’ is a gesture that borders on the same principles as the Middle Finger. Presenting someone with Two Fingers is seen as rude, offensive and disrespectful. Historians proclaim the gesture dates back to the 1400’s, where archers would present their fingers to the opposing side to show that they still had two fingers to shoot their bows. The fingers would apparently have been chopped off when captured. Although this is a very believable story, sources have proven the tale, fake. Archers being caught would have been killed, as they were not of any value. The first recorded indecent use of the Two Fingers was caught on film in 1901, where a workman flashed two fingers to indicate that he did not want to be filmed.
SHAKA The Shaka sign or “hang loose”, familiar with Hawaii and surf culture, was often used to salute friends and fellow riders. The gesture was (and still is) seen as friendly and it was deemed original, until it spread through most of America and into Europe. The original use of the Shaka sign is argued over. In china the sign means ‘six’, and in Russia it can be used as a gesture for going for a drink. One story, which is arguable, is that of Hamana Kalili, and late 1800’s. Apparently loosing his three middle fingers in a work related incident, he started work as a security guard aboard a train. Story has it that he’d wave his disfigured hand to give the train driver the all clear. Kids apparently later picked up on this, and used it amongst groups of themselves.
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CROSSED FINGERS Crossing your fingers is known to be a gesture of wishing someone good luck, or to invalidate the binding nature of a promise. The crossing of fingers was often a two-man job, and was originally an action preformed by Christians to form the Christian fish symbol, by touching thumbs and crossing index fingers. The cross and the fish symbol became symbols of good luck and blessing. As the gesture was prominently a twoman job, people figured out ways to cross their fingers so they could in fact wish luck upon themselves independently. The gesture has been traced back to 1300-1400’s, where arches would cross their fingers and say a prayer before going into battle, or taking a shot.
A-OKAY A-Okay is a hand gesture that is used to signify that everything is ok. The origin of the symbol is not known, but it does hold several different connotations across cultures. Soldiers use the gesture in Finland. They would hold the sign up to show that they have zero days left of national service. It is also used to taunt the soldiers who still have time left. In the UK and other western countries it is seen primarily as a way of saying everything’s ok. When diving it is also used to show that everything is all right. In Brazil, showing this to somebody means that you are calling them an “arsehole�. It holds the same obscenity as the middle finger in western countries. In Turkey the gesture is a reference to homosexuality. The gesture has also been linked to representing the numbers 666.
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V SIGN The V sign, or V for victory or peace, is a hand gesture that is often used as a symbol of peace. It’s often seen being preformed by celebrities and politicians. The gesture became popular around the second word war when Churchill adopted it for the V for Victory campaign. Churchill adopted the sign from a Belgium Minister who told the Belgians to use it as a rallying emblem during WWII. The V sign was used during the summer of love as a symbol of world peace. It was predominantly used by Ringo Star followed with the words “peace and love”.
THUMBS UP The thumbs up gesture can connote a symbol of friendship, agreement and to say thank you. It’s known as a friendly gesture and is often used in western culture. The origin of the gesture is often referred back to Ancient Rome, where the crowd would decide the final decision of a gladiator’s death. They would either present thumbs up or thumbs down, if they presented thumbs up the emperor would agree to let the gladiator live until the next fight. Although this gesture may seem believable, there are no hard facts to prove that this is correct. In Afghanistan, Iran, and parts of Italy and Greece, the gesture is regarded as an obscene insult equivalent to that the middle finger. In Australia a thumb thrust upwards was used to gesture “up yours” prior to World War II. In diving thumbs up is given to show that you are returning to the surface of the water.
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THUMBS DOWN Thumbs down holds the opposite meaning to the thumbs up. Giving something or someone the thumbs down is people that you disagree, or they’ve done something wrong. It’s rarely used in common situations and you’re most likely to see this gesture being used on game shows, or more recognizably by Simon Cowell. Again the origin of the thumbs down is argued over and almost always related back to the coliseum and the gladiators. Giving the thumbs down meant death. The thumbs up and thumbs down signal are actually now more common in use on websites, like Facebook and YouTube. Still holding exactly the same meaning, if you like something or dislike you can either choose to give it a thumbs up, or a thumbs down.
DEVIL HORNS The devil horns are most recognized in modern society as a symbol for heavy metal. Fans hold up the sign to show their appreciation of the music. Ronnie James Dio popularized the symbol, in an attempt to connect with the fans. In Italy and some Mediterranean cultures the gesture is used in bad situations to ward of bad luck. In some cultures it is also used to ward off the ‘evil eye’. If used but with the fingers pointing down it’s the Mediterranean equivalent of how the western would say “touch wood”.
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CLENCHED FIST The Clenched Fist, or Raised Fist is known to most as the symbol of unity, of support, of strength and resistance. Assyrian depictions of the goddess Ishtar show her raising a clenched fist. A raised fist was used as a logo by the Industrial Workers of the World in 1917. The Clenched Fist has several different meanings, and this is dependent on how it has been used. Often the fist is presented as holding tools. Amongst communists and socialists, it is sometimes called the red salute. It can also be recognized as the Black Power Salute, and men and woman would hold their fists up as a protest for human rights. This hand gesture holds a lot of power, and feeds into the idea of everyone coming together and working as one.
VULCAN SALUTE The Vulcan Salute is a hand gesture that many will understand as being the famous salute preformed by Spok, in Star Trek. The Vulcan Salute would then be followed by the phrase “Live long and prosper”. The salute was in fact adopted from Jewish heritage, from an act known as Priestly Blessing. The Salute forms the Hebrew letter ‘Shin’, and the gesture itself is also known as Nesiat Kapayim, meaning ‘lifting of the hands’. The priest would raise his hands using the gesture, and it was believed that Divine Presence would shine through the fingers of the priest and bless the people.
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