Appendix:Gestures
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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)