Appendix:Gestures
The gestures below are meaningful expressions produced with parts of the body, but excluding speech. All are used outside of the context of a sign language. Some have specific referents, some emphasize accompanying vocal speech, and some express feelings, including contempt, hostility, approval, and affection.
List of gestures edit
One person edit
One hand edit
- air kiss
- air punch: fist punching upward into the air; suggests victory or triumph
- akanbe (pulling eyelid down with finger, indicates mockery -- see akanbe on Wikipedia. same gesture indicates disbelief in France: "mon œil!"; see Eyelid pull)
- beckon
- index finger beckon (point the index finger upwards, waggle it towards yourself)
- palm-down beckon (Japanese beckon with the four fingers facing down, waggle the hand toward yourself)
- bicep kiss (kissing one's own biceps)
- blowing a kiss (see air kiss)
- calm down (using one's open hand to try to ask someone to calm down)
- check for rain (palm out and upward)
- chef's kiss
- chin stroking
- claw hand (imitating claws, with all five fingers flexed at once)
- clenched hand
- come here (see above: beckon)
- corna (see sign of the horns)
- cuckoo sign (circling motion of the index finger at the side of the ear or head)
- drink (raising hand to mouth as if drinking: asks a person whether they want another drink, e.g. in a noisy pub; or suggests another person is a drunkard)
- facepalm (covering part of one's face with an open hand, palm turned inward: indicates embarrassment, frustration, exasperation, or disappointment, directed at one's self, someone else, or the situation in general)
- fig sign
- finger gun (extending one's thumb and forefinger from a clenched fist to form a gun-like L-shape: used in emphasis/agreement, as in "That statement hits the bullseye;" also a casual nonverbal greeting often used in passing)
- finger in collar
- finger muzzle (put finger to someone else's lips)
- finger snapping
- finger wag (wagging finger as in "no")
- fingers crossed (index and middle fingers extended from a loose fist with one finger wrapped around the other; used to wish for good luck; also may be concealed during a conversation and then used jokingly to excuse a spoken lie ("That thing I said wasn't really true, but it doesn't count because I had my fingers crossed")
- fist pump
- flipping the bird (see middle finger)
- forgetfulness (hand to the top of the head, indicates forgetfulness)
- gagging
- go away
- open-palm go away (Japanese gesture, shake the open palm to make someone go away)
- shoo (hand facing downward, wiggle the hand or the four fingers to make someone go away)
- hair flip (flipping one's long hair, indicates confidence)
- halt (see open hand)
- hand behind head (indicates embarassment)
- hand over mouth
- hand over mouth (disgust) (indicates disgust)
- hand over mouth (thinking) (covering the mouth with the hand while thinking, possibly to suppress what one is saying or thinking of saying)
- hand on womb (indicates pregnancy)
- hand over heart
- hat tip
- hitch-hiking thumb
- horns (see sign of the horns)
- ILY sign
- looking far away (put your open palm horizontally above your eyes and look into the distance)
- knocking on wood (rapping the knuckles of one's closed fist on wood of some kind, e.g. a table or wall or tree, or one's own head if no real wood is available: a superstitious gesture used to ward off bad luck/unfavorable outcomes, particularly after someone "jinxes" a potential good outcome by verbalizing the hope or expectation, e.g. "There's no way our team can blow this lead!" "Knock on wood!!" rapraprap)
- listen (hand cupped behind ear)
- middle finger (fully extend one's middle finger from a closed fist, pointing upwards: a vulgar insult directed at another person, equivalent to "Fuck you," and considered socially inappropriate in the same environments where spoken profanity would be deemed so)
- modest hand block (shake one or two hands with the palm facing the other person, to deny a compliment)
- money (rubbing the tips of the thumb and the index finger together)
- my lips are sealed (slide the tips of your thumb and index finger along your mouth, as if you could close your mouth with a zipper; indicates keeping a secret)
- numbers
- okay
- open hand
- palm on cheek
- paw pose (hand(s) curled, imitating a cat or dog's paws)
- pinky out
- pointing
- pointing at nose (Japanese "I", "me")
- declarative finger (used when saying something one believes to be important)
- pointing at eyes, then at listener (I'm watching you)
- power fist (fist clenched at the sky)
- puke finger (expresses disgust)
- raise hand
- reaching
- rock, paper, scissors:
- salutes:
- screw loose (see cuckoo sign)
- self-bottom smack (self-bottom smack, used to ridicule)
- shaka sign
- shaking fist
- shocker
- shoulder tap (tapping someone on the shoulder)
- shushing
- sign of the cross
- sign of the horns
- silly me (hitting oneself softly on the head, indicating one's own silliness)
- small
- sneeze finger (erect finger horizontally under nose)
- stop (see open hand)
- take my hand
- talk to the hand (see open hand)
- talking (using one hand to imitate a mouth opening and closing; indicates a talkative person)
- telephone (extended thumb and little finger beside the face, imitating a telephone with earpiece and mouthpiece)
- they're the same (used in Brazil, rub the index and the middle finger together to indicate that two people are the same in some way)
- thinker pose (as in The Thinker statue)
- this way please
- throat slash (moving the index finger across the neck)
- thumbing the nose
- thumbs up
- V-sign
- reverse V-sign
- V-sign around tongue (perform the V-sign with a finger on either side of your extended tongue, indicates cunnilingus)
- wanker
- waving
- whisper hide (hide your mouth with an open hand to the side, indicates whispering)
- woe is me (placing the back of the hand to the forehead)
Two hands edit
- air quotes
- awkward turtle
- applause
- sarcastic clapping (which tends to be slower)
- bicep rubbing (flexing one's arm and rubbing the biceps)
- both hands over face (1. childish, someone counting while playing hide-and-seek; 2. covers the eyes and face, may indicate profound discomfort with what one would see, or some trauma/sadness, hiding one's urge to cry, etc.)
- breasts (using the two hands, in a gesture imitating a person holding one's own breasts)
- carry me
- change the subject (get an invisible box from the sides with your open palms and put the box away to the side, indicating a change of subject)
- chest pound
- crossed arms
- dusting off the hands (sometimes expressing completion: "that's that")
- The crossed hands (gesture) (duart e kryqëzuara), representing the double-headed eagle that denotes Albania
- fake ears/horns with the two hands:
- bunny ear (hands open above head, imitating bunny ears)
- index finger horns (both hands closed, at the sides of the head, except the index fingers, which are pointing upwards imitating horns)
- finger frame (making a rectangular frame with the thumb and index finger of both hands)
- finger tenting
- fingertip tenting (fingerstips touching at mouth level, indicating contemplation)
- interlocked finger tenting (fingers interlocked at mouth level, indicating contemplation)
- five fathers (insulting a person by suggesting that their mother was sexually promiscuous)
- fist to the palm (hit the palm of one hand with the closed fist of the other)
- gorilla pound (see chest pound)
- hand blocker (block the way using your two hands, indicates that you don't want something)
- hand rubbing
- hands up
- head clutch (hands to ears, indicating loud noise)
- heart hands (two hands forming a heart)
- namaste (namaste gesture common in India)
- palms-together apology (Japanese "gomen!" with the two palms together)
- penetration (index finger penetrating an OK-sign)
- psychic instance (fingers to the temples, imitating psychic powers; also used to indicate that one is thinking hard)
- religion:
- Jewish blessing
- locked fingers (as in praying with interlocked fingers)
- praying hands (praying with the palms together)
- raised-hands worship (both hands raised in worship)
- Tarzan pound (see chest pound)
- this big (index fingers raised a distance apart, to show the size of something; e.g. a fish one caught)
- tips of index fingers touching each other (indicates shyness)
- typing (wiggle your fingers in a typing motion, indicates typing on a keyboard)
- victory clasp (raising the hands clasped in victory)
- vulva sign (making a diamond shape between extended thumbs and fingers to symbolise a vulva)
- what have I done (looking at one's own palms in realization of something done)
- white power (shaping one hand like the letter W and the other like P)
- wristwatch (point at your arm as if you had a wristwatch, indicates asking "what time is it?")
- writing (wiggle your hand as if you were writing with a pen on the palm of your other hand; this indicates that you are going to need a writing instrument)
- zombie pose (both hands reaching forward, imitating a zombie or unrealistic stereotypical sleepwalker)
Moving the head edit
Parts of the head edit
- eyes:
- mouth:
- blowing a raspberry
- jaw drop
- puffed cheeks (childish, indicates frustration)
- smile
- spitting
- tongue out
- tongue out with hands beside head (tongue sticking out with open hands next to sides of head with palms facing forwards and fingers spread, with thumbs near or touching temples)
- vomit (cheeks puffed out, possibly with hand in front; suggests that one is nauseous or repulsed)
- nose:
Whole body, or legs/torso edit
- bowing
- curtsey
- dogeza
- fetal position
- kneeling
- genuflection (one knee to the ground)
- kowtow
- shrug
Other parts of the body edit
- chicken - imitating a chicken
- mooning
- tick a lock
- cock a snook
Using objects edit
- knock on door (a request for someone to open the door)
- knock on wood (superstitious gesture to avoid something bad to happen)
- throwing a towel (means surrender in boxing)
- white flag (means surrender)
Two people interacting edit
Only the hands or arms edit
- engacho (interlock circles with your index fingers and thumbs and have someone else "cut" your gesture using their hand)
- greetings:
- bro fist (see fist bump)
- elbow bump
- fist bump
- forearm clasp
- handshake
- high-five
- palm-fist greeting
- holding hands
- pinky swear
- spit shake (childish, spitting on the hand and shaking hands to make an agreement)
- team hands (2 or more people put their open hands together, one on top of the other, indicates teamwork)
Other gestures edit
- bitch slap (slap to the front of the head of somebody else)
- dope slap (lighthearted slap to the back of the head of somebody else)
- foot kiss
- French kiss
- hand kiss
- hug
- kiss on the cheek
- kiss on the lips
Three people interacting edit
Four people interacting edit
Games edit
Card games edit
- give cards to dealer (fold, in poker)
- tap table (check, in poker)
Chess edit
- tip over king (resignation)
- handshake offer (resignation)
Mudras edit
(to be filled)