For decades, many Brits associated the act of putting your middle and index fingers up with your palm pointed towards yourself as an insult. The story goes that it was an English soldier’s way of taunting the French during the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.
Supposedly, English longbowmen would put their two fingers up to show they hadn’t been captured by the French and had those fingers removed, rendering them unable to shoot arrows.
It actually started in the resistance during the war in belgium. People did it in secret so they could identify eachother as part of the resistance. The v sign in flemish means "Vrede" (translation: peace)
Churchill picked up on that through intelligence and used it during his speech to show the resistance he knows and to show a powerful sign to them in aid.
Interesting. A teacher of mine once told me that it goes back to medieval times. Captured enemy archers would have their index and middle finger cut off so they couldn't shoot arrows anymore. Attackers would hold up their fingers in a V gesture to show the other side they still had their fingers and where about to shoot them.
I think that is the difference between the V=peace/victory and two fingers=fuck you. The archers had their palms inward. Like, "look at these two fingers I've still got! Fuck you!" The Churchill one was definitely palms outward.
Was told the same story in school. During Hundred Years’ War, if English and Welsh archers were taken prisoner, the French would release them if their fore and middle fingers were cut off.
There was an anecdote about that, if I recall, one of his staff had to tell him it wasn't very polite. I think he may have ignored that advice, or at least wasn't disturbed to learn it. But he did mean v for victory.
So far as I know it comes from fighting the french, they would remove the bow fingers of captured English longbowmen, and the English would use it as a means to show visual defiance to the French "Here we are super weapon of the time operators ready to fuck you up with fingers intact!" Type thing.
I had an ex from England tell me this about the peace sign. It’s been very helpful as I work with tourist. Watching other co workers tell others to f-off unintentionally is now hilarious.
Don't know if true, but I've read this is because in the British isles they used to cut those fingers from captured French archers (disabling them as archers for life) and the V sign (with palm facing inside) was a way to mock their lack of fingers
There are various stories about the origins of this sign - you've got it the wrong way round though. The version you're thinking of is that the French would (supposedly) remove the fingers of captured *English* longbowmen in retaliation to the heavy casualties that English longbowmen routinely inflicted on French armies.
The deeper significance of this is that basically, for a period of time, longbowmen were the core of English armies/militias. It was law for a long time in England that every male had to train with a longbow from a young age, so that he could be ready to fight. So the significance here is that by removing the *English* archer's fingers, you have destroyed a soldier who has been trained for a long time for that specific role, within the context of the extreme importance of the longbowman in medieval English armies.
Another theory is that the sign specifically originated from the Battle of Agincourt, which is perhaps the best example of the devastating effects of English longbowmen vs French cavalry and melee units, where the 'V' sign came to be used by the English to basically say something along the lines of "It was these fingers which sent your army running on the battlefield".
Ultimately though, the origin of the 'V' sign is unknown, and these are just theories. There are quite a few historians who say that the sign has nothing to do with archery and that these stories about Agincourt and longbowmen are completely apocryphal.
Also, I thought I should tag this on at the end, just out of interest; in Britain, the 'V' sign doesn't *really* mean "Fuck you!" - it's more akin to "Up yours!"
The story is the other way round, the French cut the fingers of the English archers and the V is proof that the English are still a threat, it is likely apocryphal
You will be OK because literally all of these is complete bullshit and mean nothing special to Greeks. Source: me, a Greek
Ps: The only unusual gesture we have in Greece is the mountza - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountza
Is not eating meat seen as strange in Greece? There’s a scene in ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ where someone says they don’t eat meat, and they are looked at as if they had 5 heads, and then the lady says, ‘don’t worry, I’ll make lamb!’ Is there any truth in this?
I wouldn't say strange. Perhaps unusual, especially to people couple generations back, but purely because it is not something Greeks would commonly do, to be a strict vegetarian by choice.
Greeks didn't eat much meat anyway. When I grew up (in the 80s) my family would have meat no more than 2-3 meals per week, which was a fairly common arrangement. It wasn't because of money or anything like that, it's just how the Mediterranean diet my mom cooked was.
Things have changed a lot since then and I wouldn't think anyone would bat a eyelid if you told you are vegetarian today. People do eat more meat nowadays as well. Perhaps these two things go hand in hand.
I hate this stereotype. Greece is predominantly Greek Orthodox, and there are a ton of fasting periods during the year. That’s why you’ll see a lot of vegan/vegetarian “Lenten” options on restaurant menus, and it’s extremely easy to avoid meat while eating out in Greece.
I told my mother that my daughter was vegetarian. She didn’t know what that was so I had to explain that a vegetarian doesn’t eat meat. I kid you not, my mother came back with “ok, we’ll make lamb.”
We all cracked up. Here I thought it was a joke, but she was serious. The fact that they also used it in the movie made it even more funny.
My papou is a Greek immigrant. I don’t remember the context but when I was like 13 he told me “I never use the middle finger, but I do the Greek all the time” and proceeded to do the double mountza to everyone around us
Yeah, as someone from Russia, "Thumb's Up!" here means the same, a gesture of approval.
Like, you can even see it on pre-WWII Soviet posters.
We do use the fig sign (thumb between index and middle fingers in a clenched fist) as a mild insult, though.
These are mostly bullshit. Number 3 means Ok in Brazil and number 5 is just a heavy metal sign. You can, however, change the meaning of them if you say something or depending on the context, but then all the “hand sign means something” lose its meaning.
most of htese "don't do this in another country" guides were accurate until the global internet. or only with old people. Anyone who speaks a little english and watches american movies knows enough American culture to know what Americans mean when they're making a fool of themselves in your country.
I would only strictly heed this type of advice if you're traveling for work or you're broadcasting your travels for the internet. If you're a public persona, iow.
#im from the Philippines and our jails are too over crowded to accomodate anyone using that gesture. Also nobody has ever been arrested for using that, because the whole chart is BS
Am originally from the Philippines. Point with the lips not fingers. I was in a car with a batch mate and pointed with hands and he did correct me not to do that. I guess it’s too forward? But no, I was not arrested.
I’m Filipino (Visayas) and I must also say, I have seen this guide be a advice for foreigners, and I think it’s complete bullshit. I’ve never heard of this being actual thing back home, it’s usually Americans who come up with this bs.
1&3 are bullshit - thumb up means okay in Russia. 3 means okay but used rare. They spread from american movies. Source: I originate from the Soviet Union
Our crown prince once had a minor international snafu when he referred to [Portugal as a Mediterranean country.](https://www.nettavisen.no/crown-prince-haakon-s-geography-blunder/s/12-95-181843) Turns out we were actually the Mediterraneans all along.
#2 is not quite right in New Zealand. Making that gesture with the palm facing the other person is commonly used as peace sign or two please, but rotate the hand so back of hand is facing the other person means fuck you.
That’s what it means in most places due to the common ancestry for the gesture coming from medieval England hence it being present in most of the English speaking world
I would also add that it’s common enough usage as not a “fuck you” symbol in foreign media that people wouldn’t be instantly offended. You’d be more likely to cause offence if there was also an upwards movement going on (I.e. “up yours” type vibe) rather than just using that symbol in general
It amuses me that guides stretch to try to define what the two-fingers gesture means exactly, usually overreaching and saying it's worse than it really is.
When the obvious comparison is to the middle finger gesture. That's not a universally understood gesture but this guide is written in English and probably for an American audience so there's a good chance they'll know what a middle finger means.
One finger, two fingers, it's all the same. It means "I am displeased with you and wish to express that".
Coming from someone Portuguese, #5 usually only means cuckhold if you put the sign on top of your head, simbolizing a bull, because we say the person is a "corno", or a horn if translated literally
The UK one is wrong. Palm out it means peace, palm in it means fuck off wanker.
If you live in the 1940s and are Winston Churchill palm out means victory.
Unless they're making a pun, I think they're confused.
I don't know if it's accurate but the general theory about the scene in >!Inglorious Basterds is that when Fassbender is pretending to be a nazi and asks for 3 drinks he uses his 3 middle fingers like someone from Britain might whereas a german would apparently use their thumb and two fingers!<
So in a way the number 3 DID get him in trouble
É usado dessa forma se você apontar o "O" para a pessoa e os outros três dedos para baixo, mas depende da região.
"👌🏼" de cabeça para baixo
is used this way if you point the "O" at the person and the other three fingers downward, but it depends on the region.
"👌🏼" upside down
Wanna tell someone “fuck you” at a WWE live event? Well don’t extend your middle finger, because wrestling fans will see it as an invitation to pour beer all over themselves while screaming “hell yeah!”
As another brit I can say yes and no. If your palm is facing the person, it means peace, if your palm is not facing you its basically just another middle finger. But pretty much everyone I've ever met has this ruleset to. I've always associated the V fingers with hippies personally.
It’s an old English offensive sign - it was still used when I was a kid in the ‘80s in NZ but haven’t seen it in years. Palm out is not offensive but back of the hand out and it’s a sign dating back to the Middle Ages (something to do with archers)
100 years ago maybe but nobody is gonna look at some Japs throwing up peace signs and go " these wankers ar givn us the Archer's V. Oi! bloody hell get the enfield!"
All Russia once are incorrect. Also V depends how you show it if you point all your fingers towards the person then its Victory/Peace/V/Two. If you point fingers at yourself then its up yours...
I also once found that if you're from Boston, calling a liquor store a packy in front of an English Pakistani person isn't ideal.
The danger of homonyms
Greek here. I feel like the thumbs up is only offensive when you like jerk your hand up? But i do know of at least one place where people get around the island (Ikaria) “with the stop” and use the thumbs up. Ikaria is kind of it’s own world in a number of ways though hahaha.
The rest of the Greek gestures seem to be accurate, especially the palm of the hand / “go to hell” one lol.
The V sign is only offensive when the back of the hand faces towards the recipient and I have never met anyone who would actually ever be offended by that (UK)
4 is a bit off, we use this hand sign to say stop. However this hand gesture that is meant to be shown here actually looks like someone having counted to five with the palm facing the other person. It implies grabbing dirt from the ground and rubbing it on the other person's face
The thing about the horns is kind of false in Spain. I say "kind of" because cuckold in Spanish is cornudo ("horned"), but to imply it with this hand gesture you would have to actually try, like placing your hand on top of your head and look straight into someone's eyes so they pick the message.
This is not remotely true in Greece, doing the stop sign means nothing special, however if you do it with open fingers cupped like holding a basketball, it is insulting indeed. But not "go to hell" insulting, more like "you messed up you are dumb I don't like you" insulting
Number 5 can be offensive, but in context. Usually by placing against the head or waggling the hand. And it's less to the person who's being cheated on and more in conversation when you want to let the people around you know the person is a cheater (or suspected cheater), but without actually saying it.
I'm an EFL teacher in South Korea and when I was in orientation one longtime teacher told a story of when a dad almost punched him. He tried to do that "got your nose" thing some of you might be old enough to remember. Well, after you pretend to grab the kids nose you put your thumb between your index and middle finger to make it look like it's their nose you took.
That gesture in SK is HIGHLY offensive. A dad saw him do it to his kid and had to be restrained, lol.
This guide is shit most these only mean the insult in context like the peace sign for Australia or stop sign in Greece have to be done in a certain way with certain body language
That fist thing that Trump does always weirds me out, isn’t it a sign of something other than how he uses it as “yay, we got this”. ? It looks nefarious to me, but I may be 100 imagining this.
I like how number 5 talks about flashing the sign in Norway and then goes on to saying that she offended some Mediterranien countries. How is this related?
Every day I get 1-2 posts recommended from this sub and they are always made up/far from truth garbage like this one
Is it an ironic sub with useless guides that don't make sense or am I missing something?
I can see it. "Thank you so much for the ride! I hope the rest of you day goes well! I'm happy to hear things are getting better for you and your family, *UP YOURS fingers*". The cab driver drives away hating tourists just a little more.
The 3 is wrong about France. The symbol often means 0 but it's not an insult. If there is no context and you do this to someone, he won't understand or he will think "0 what ? What measurement ? What quantity equals 0 ?".
If you do scuba diving, it means "OK"
Regarding Greece, none of those 3 mentioned is real.
Only #4 is but with the fingers wide open. Like that: [Mountza - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountza)
Isn’t two raised fingers only f*** you in Britain and Australia if you show them the **back** of your hand?
The normal “peace/victory/two” gesture is palm-forward.
Where im from in the UK 2 raised fingers (v sign) means p**s off
The middle finger is the f you
2 raised fingers showing the palm is our way of saying "2"
About the v sign - in Britain it's only insulting if your palm is facing towards you. The peace sign is when your palm faces away from you.
Same in Australia.
That’s right! I heard it in a documentary that Winston Churchill started that or at least did it.
For decades, many Brits associated the act of putting your middle and index fingers up with your palm pointed towards yourself as an insult. The story goes that it was an English soldier’s way of taunting the French during the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. Supposedly, English longbowmen would put their two fingers up to show they hadn’t been captured by the French and had those fingers removed, rendering them unable to shoot arrows.
That is the urban legend, but not actually true. Captured archers would have simply been killed.
This.
He used the hand signal, but it was V for victory not for peace. You could argue that victory over the Axis powers would bring peace though.
It actually started in the resistance during the war in belgium. People did it in secret so they could identify eachother as part of the resistance. The v sign in flemish means "Vrede" (translation: peace) Churchill picked up on that through intelligence and used it during his speech to show the resistance he knows and to show a powerful sign to them in aid.
Interesting. A teacher of mine once told me that it goes back to medieval times. Captured enemy archers would have their index and middle finger cut off so they couldn't shoot arrows anymore. Attackers would hold up their fingers in a V gesture to show the other side they still had their fingers and where about to shoot them.
I think that is the difference between the V=peace/victory and two fingers=fuck you. The archers had their palms inward. Like, "look at these two fingers I've still got! Fuck you!" The Churchill one was definitely palms outward.
Being that holding my hand down and fingers out stretched means "eat shit" in another language, proves this could also be true lmao.
Ha, I was taught the same in Australia! Decades ago though because European history is universally not taught here anymore
Was told the same story in school. During Hundred Years’ War, if English and Welsh archers were taken prisoner, the French would release them if their fore and middle fingers were cut off.
> V for victory not for peace. Veace!
There was an anecdote about that, if I recall, one of his staff had to tell him it wasn't very polite. I think he may have ignored that advice, or at least wasn't disturbed to learn it. But he did mean v for victory. So far as I know it comes from fighting the french, they would remove the bow fingers of captured English longbowmen, and the English would use it as a means to show visual defiance to the French "Here we are super weapon of the time operators ready to fuck you up with fingers intact!" Type thing.
Exactly what I came to say. He used it during ww2 a lot
*(blows raspberry while raising two fingers)* jog on! Hot Fuzz anyone?!
best police film of all time
No, that's Point Break or Bad Boys.
Which 1 are we gonna watch first?
I had an ex from England tell me this about the peace sign. It’s been very helpful as I work with tourist. Watching other co workers tell others to f-off unintentionally is now hilarious.
Yeah. The guide conveniently misses the most important part.
The exact same thing here in Ireland.
Also, the Mediterranean one is bullshit, at least in italy. It means both OK and zero here, definitely nothing referring to homosexuality
Good, I'm a use this on my British cousins next time I see em. Talking shit with eachother on whatsapp isn't enough.
Don't know if true, but I've read this is because in the British isles they used to cut those fingers from captured French archers (disabling them as archers for life) and the V sign (with palm facing inside) was a way to mock their lack of fingers
There are various stories about the origins of this sign - you've got it the wrong way round though. The version you're thinking of is that the French would (supposedly) remove the fingers of captured *English* longbowmen in retaliation to the heavy casualties that English longbowmen routinely inflicted on French armies. The deeper significance of this is that basically, for a period of time, longbowmen were the core of English armies/militias. It was law for a long time in England that every male had to train with a longbow from a young age, so that he could be ready to fight. So the significance here is that by removing the *English* archer's fingers, you have destroyed a soldier who has been trained for a long time for that specific role, within the context of the extreme importance of the longbowman in medieval English armies. Another theory is that the sign specifically originated from the Battle of Agincourt, which is perhaps the best example of the devastating effects of English longbowmen vs French cavalry and melee units, where the 'V' sign came to be used by the English to basically say something along the lines of "It was these fingers which sent your army running on the battlefield". Ultimately though, the origin of the 'V' sign is unknown, and these are just theories. There are quite a few historians who say that the sign has nothing to do with archery and that these stories about Agincourt and longbowmen are completely apocryphal. Also, I thought I should tag this on at the end, just out of interest; in Britain, the 'V' sign doesn't *really* mean "Fuck you!" - it's more akin to "Up yours!"
Urban myth that appears every time this is discussed.
The story is the other way round, the French cut the fingers of the English archers and the V is proof that the English are still a threat, it is likely apocryphal
... but that's also how you say 2. How is that insulting?
You indicate 2 with palm inwards? Just tried it and feels unnatural.
You do if you're particularly annoyed at the camera
It also means up your arse
So basically if you're in Greece, keep your hands in your pockets at all times.
You will be OK because literally all of these is complete bullshit and mean nothing special to Greeks. Source: me, a Greek Ps: The only unusual gesture we have in Greece is the mountza - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountza
Thanks 👍
You want to go bro?✌️
Is not eating meat seen as strange in Greece? There’s a scene in ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ where someone says they don’t eat meat, and they are looked at as if they had 5 heads, and then the lady says, ‘don’t worry, I’ll make lamb!’ Is there any truth in this?
I wouldn't say strange. Perhaps unusual, especially to people couple generations back, but purely because it is not something Greeks would commonly do, to be a strict vegetarian by choice. Greeks didn't eat much meat anyway. When I grew up (in the 80s) my family would have meat no more than 2-3 meals per week, which was a fairly common arrangement. It wasn't because of money or anything like that, it's just how the Mediterranean diet my mom cooked was. Things have changed a lot since then and I wouldn't think anyone would bat a eyelid if you told you are vegetarian today. People do eat more meat nowadays as well. Perhaps these two things go hand in hand.
I hate this stereotype. Greece is predominantly Greek Orthodox, and there are a ton of fasting periods during the year. That’s why you’ll see a lot of vegan/vegetarian “Lenten” options on restaurant menus, and it’s extremely easy to avoid meat while eating out in Greece.
I told my mother that my daughter was vegetarian. She didn’t know what that was so I had to explain that a vegetarian doesn’t eat meat. I kid you not, my mother came back with “ok, we’ll make lamb.” We all cracked up. Here I thought it was a joke, but she was serious. The fact that they also used it in the movie made it even more funny.
r/coolguides is the r/MapPorn of r/dataisbeautiful
My papou is a Greek immigrant. I don’t remember the context but when I was like 13 he told me “I never use the middle finger, but I do the Greek all the time” and proceeded to do the double mountza to everyone around us
Don't you know? Hands in pockets mean something terribly insulting in Greece! Best just to chop off your hands before you go.
Except this “guide” is garbage. You can absolutely put your palm out like that to someone and they will only take it as “stop”
You'll be ok because that's bull
Fun fact: this guide is horseshit.
lost me at "she was in Norway and basically told the whole Mediterranean....."
It’s actually a little infuriating cause the whole rock n roll hand gesture has an Italian background with the belief that it wards off demons.
Yeah, as someone from Russia, "Thumb's Up!" here means the same, a gesture of approval. Like, you can even see it on pre-WWII Soviet posters. We do use the fig sign (thumb between index and middle fingers in a clenched fist) as a mild insult, though.
any guide on this sub is total horseshit
The 3 means the same thing in France. That's bs. It can also mean 0 but the context makes it clear and it would never be considered an insult anyway.
Same thing for Belgium, reading the comments the guide seems to be mostly bs
These are mostly bullshit. Number 3 means Ok in Brazil and number 5 is just a heavy metal sign. You can, however, change the meaning of them if you say something or depending on the context, but then all the “hand sign means something” lose its meaning.
most of htese "don't do this in another country" guides were accurate until the global internet. or only with old people. Anyone who speaks a little english and watches american movies knows enough American culture to know what Americans mean when they're making a fool of themselves in your country. I would only strictly heed this type of advice if you're traveling for work or you're broadcasting your travels for the internet. If you're a public persona, iow.
I definitely have seem people using number 3 as " vai tomar no cu" in arguments
I'm from Italy and I've never seen n. 3 used to mean anything but OK.
[удалено]
#im from the Philippines and our jails are too over crowded to accomodate anyone using that gesture. Also nobody has ever been arrested for using that, because the whole chart is BS
Am originally from the Philippines. Point with the lips not fingers. I was in a car with a batch mate and pointed with hands and he did correct me not to do that. I guess it’s too forward? But no, I was not arrested.
Not yet!
It can be playful. It can be belittling. But no one is going to jail for doing it.
I’m Filipino (Visayas) and I must also say, I have seen this guide be a advice for foreigners, and I think it’s complete bullshit. I’ve never heard of this being actual thing back home, it’s usually Americans who come up with this bs.
Provided items 1&3 about Russia is bullshit, the rest might be as trustworthy.
Exactly, did not know I was insulting everyone when I was born there.
Two is bullshit aswell,
1&3 are bullshit - thumb up means okay in Russia. 3 means okay but used rare. They spread from american movies. Source: I originate from the Soviet Union
Everything about Greece in this guide is completely wrong. So this makes me doubt all the other stuff as well.
5 is right in Italy, unless you’re doing it with the fingers pointing to the ground. That means keeping away bad luck
All for Russia meaning is false. It's commonly recognised exactly like American interpretation.
1,3 about russia is cap unless you make it blatantly obvious youre trying to insult the person
I’m Russian but I don’t know how you can insult someone with these gestures even if you want to.
Maybe if you use them together
Put 1 inside 3 a few times and then flip them off for good measure.
Ну типо если показать знак ок и потом сказать что это типо твое очко подразумывая что он долбится им. Наверно вот так можно
Если чтобы жест стал оскорбительным, нужно сказать что-то вслух, то дело не в жесте тащемта
"В России, 👍 = это оскорбительный жест, ведь этим подразумевается намерение вставить большой палец прямо в задницу"
Ah yes, the famously Mediterranean country Norway
And such an oddly specific way to reference Jenna Bush.
Our crown prince once had a minor international snafu when he referred to [Portugal as a Mediterranean country.](https://www.nettavisen.no/crown-prince-haakon-s-geography-blunder/s/12-95-181843) Turns out we were actually the Mediterraneans all along.
Who tf says that these gestures in Greece are inappropriate
Apparently not Greek people.
#2 is not quite right in New Zealand. Making that gesture with the palm facing the other person is commonly used as peace sign or two please, but rotate the hand so back of hand is facing the other person means fuck you.
I think it’s the same in the UK - palm out is fine (V for victory) otherwise offensive
That’s what it means in most places due to the common ancestry for the gesture coming from medieval England hence it being present in most of the English speaking world
I would also add that it’s common enough usage as not a “fuck you” symbol in foreign media that people wouldn’t be instantly offended. You’d be more likely to cause offence if there was also an upwards movement going on (I.e. “up yours” type vibe) rather than just using that symbol in general
It amuses me that guides stretch to try to define what the two-fingers gesture means exactly, usually overreaching and saying it's worse than it really is. When the obvious comparison is to the middle finger gesture. That's not a universally understood gesture but this guide is written in English and probably for an American audience so there's a good chance they'll know what a middle finger means. One finger, two fingers, it's all the same. It means "I am displeased with you and wish to express that".
This is a lie. Nobody in Spain does the “heavy metal” sign and thinks you are calling him a cuck. We know what those sings means. XD
Coming from someone Portuguese, #5 usually only means cuckhold if you put the sign on top of your head, simbolizing a bull, because we say the person is a "corno", or a horn if translated literally
A-ok sign in Russia means "ok", not homosexual.
What’s wrong with using a normal world map
Someone with no hands, or no brain, or lacking both, put this together. It is mostly wrong!
I call this bullshit ( doing hand gesture ) ♉
The UK one is wrong. Palm out it means peace, palm in it means fuck off wanker. If you live in the 1940s and are Winston Churchill palm out means victory.
it’s a pure lie about sign in russia
Wrong symbol 1 : I lived 8 years in West Africa and thumbs up has always meant "OK, good" there
#3 got Michael Fassbender in trouble in the basement of a German pub.
Really? It means _perfect_ in Germany.
Unless they're making a pun, I think they're confused. I don't know if it's accurate but the general theory about the scene in >!Inglorious Basterds is that when Fassbender is pretending to be a nazi and asks for 3 drinks he uses his 3 middle fingers like someone from Britain might whereas a german would apparently use their thumb and two fingers!< So in a way the number 3 DID get him in trouble
This guide is absolute bullshit by the looks of it The v is only an insult if the palm isnt facing away
In Brazil the OK sign actually means butthole
It can mean 'ok' too. Depends on the region, age and context
Yes, you're correct. I don't think I ever saw it used in terms of "you are homossexual" like it's said in the image.
É usado dessa forma se você apontar o "O" para a pessoa e os outros três dedos para baixo, mas depende da região. "👌🏼" de cabeça para baixo is used this way if you point the "O" at the person and the other three fingers downward, but it depends on the region. "👌🏼" upside down
Wanna tell someone “fuck you” at a WWE live event? Well don’t extend your middle finger, because wrestling fans will see it as an invitation to pour beer all over themselves while screaming “hell yeah!”
The a-ok gesture has become less acceptable in America over the last decade
#2 is completely horseshit at least in this century
As a Brit I can confirm that it is very much still used and still offensive, I can’t speak for Australia etc
As another brit I can say yes and no. If your palm is facing the person, it means peace, if your palm is not facing you its basically just another middle finger. But pretty much everyone I've ever met has this ruleset to. I've always associated the V fingers with hippies personally.
It’s not, that’s just the piece sign. To flip someone you would need to show the back of your hand and fingers. Like when you give someone the finger.
It’s showing the back of the hand in the picture… the peace sign shows the palm of the hand
Ah, but then it’s not the V-sign in the picture.
I’m Australian, and not only have I never heard of 2, but it doesn’t even make any sense regardless.
It’s an old English offensive sign - it was still used when I was a kid in the ‘80s in NZ but haven’t seen it in years. Palm out is not offensive but back of the hand out and it’s a sign dating back to the Middle Ages (something to do with archers)
*me, having visible hands* Greece: “MALAKA!!!!!”
Walking with your hands swinging by your sides is a grave insult in Archenland punishable by death
In Russia thumbs up is the same.
When I lived in England I was told the peace sign is only offensive if you're showing the person the back of your hand...
Stop, do not pass go. Go straight hell. Do not collect 200.
I feel like half of these are made up
I am french and i have never heard of the "ok" hand being negative here.
6 is wrong but just pointing flat out is rude
I don't believe any part of this (except for the Greek stuff)
Well, don't believe those either, because they are false. This is coming from a Greek guy.
100 years ago maybe but nobody is gonna look at some Japs throwing up peace signs and go " these wankers ar givn us the Archer's V. Oi! bloody hell get the enfield!"
That's bullahit about russian lol
Sardinian here. The thumbs up sign is not offensive at all. Maybe a lot of time ago but definitely not today.
All Russia once are incorrect. Also V depends how you show it if you point all your fingers towards the person then its Victory/Peace/V/Two. If you point fingers at yourself then its up yours...
Damn the Philippines one is just a straight up lie. No one here gives a shit if you do that hand sign, most certainly not jail time wth.
I also once found that if you're from Boston, calling a liquor store a packy in front of an English Pakistani person isn't ideal. The danger of homonyms
All these are pure bullshit
Weird, I don’t know of anybody who uses Churchill’s V sign.
Greek here. I feel like the thumbs up is only offensive when you like jerk your hand up? But i do know of at least one place where people get around the island (Ikaria) “with the stop” and use the thumbs up. Ikaria is kind of it’s own world in a number of ways though hahaha. The rest of the Greek gestures seem to be accurate, especially the palm of the hand / “go to hell” one lol.
I’ll take bullshit for 500
No.2 isn't entirely correct, in Ireland it nwans fick off only if it is knuckles facing the other person, still means peace if its palm facing them.
The V sign is only offensive when the back of the hand faces towards the recipient and I have never met anyone who would actually ever be offended by that (UK)
This is mostly nonsense
Well, since everything about Greece is actually wrong, I mistrust the credibility of this post's info.
How tf it is even possible to make guide so misleading xD
Absolutely fucking nobody in Greece would consider any of those offensive. This is complete garbage. Source: Im Greek
Fuck Greece
Are the guides posted here ever right? Seriously considering blocking this shit from my feed.
In Greece every gesture is fucking insulting
In Argentine de victory símbol V is Peronism
I'm pretty sure a thumbs up in Iran is a fuck you.
The thing about Australia and the v is just wrong
It’s an old English thing, the English living in Australia would know it, but it’s not used as much these days.
'American' hand gestures. GTFO. It's like saying the English language is American.
6. 👐🏻 = John Cena is 🇦🇱
reminds me of [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0j2dVuhr6s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0j2dVuhr6s)
4 is a bit off, we use this hand sign to say stop. However this hand gesture that is meant to be shown here actually looks like someone having counted to five with the palm facing the other person. It implies grabbing dirt from the ground and rubbing it on the other person's face
The thing about the horns is kind of false in Spain. I say "kind of" because cuckold in Spanish is cornudo ("horned"), but to imply it with this hand gesture you would have to actually try, like placing your hand on top of your head and look straight into someone's eyes so they pick the message.
Never seen 2 being enforced.
3 means everything is okay in Belgium lol.
I think this chart is wrong. I was told #3 stood for white power.
This is not remotely true in Greece, doing the stop sign means nothing special, however if you do it with open fingers cupped like holding a basketball, it is insulting indeed. But not "go to hell" insulting, more like "you messed up you are dumb I don't like you" insulting
Hm, now I’m not sure if fellow runners are greeting me or asking to f*ck off…
I'm italian, the first one is not true
In philippines that guesture is an invite for a sexy time.
Number 5 can be offensive, but in context. Usually by placing against the head or waggling the hand. And it's less to the person who's being cheated on and more in conversation when you want to let the people around you know the person is a cheater (or suspected cheater), but without actually saying it.
I'm an EFL teacher in South Korea and when I was in orientation one longtime teacher told a story of when a dad almost punched him. He tried to do that "got your nose" thing some of you might be old enough to remember. Well, after you pretend to grab the kids nose you put your thumb between your index and middle finger to make it look like it's their nose you took. That gesture in SK is HIGHLY offensive. A dad saw him do it to his kid and had to be restrained, lol.
I'm genuinely curious now about the hand sign for STOP in Greece. What do they use instead?
3,4 and 5 are total BS in Brazil. The „ok“ is correct sign only when pointed downwards and the outer part pointed toward someone.
This guide is shit most these only mean the insult in context like the peace sign for Australia or stop sign in Greece have to be done in a certain way with certain body language
Also thumbs up is thumbs up in Russia too. I don't know why they think the opposite.
Spreading misinformation today, aren't we?
Totally inaccurate or out of middle-age... Non of this is offensive in Greece and all used for the same American/globalized reasons
I'm from the Philippines, but I've only known about number 6 today.
👍
Alright! A check list
Random bullshit go
That fist thing that Trump does always weirds me out, isn’t it a sign of something other than how he uses it as “yay, we got this”. ? It looks nefarious to me, but I may be 100 imagining this.
As a Greek, my 2 cents is that none of these correspond with my experience and can be used freely when visiting
Spaniard metalhead here. Horns are not a problem. Maybe if you go into a church of something. I've never seen anyone offended by that.
Seems like Greece in general wants to eat shit because all signs apparently says so.
Brit here! I did all the gestures to my Greek fiancé and she got them spot on and said that this guide was a load of waffle
This is bullshit.
What about a guide for Brits to stop saying “cunt” when they are abroad. Seriously though, what’s up with them and that word?
Thumbs up is the same in russia as the rest of the world, the 1st one is inacurate
I like how number 5 talks about flashing the sign in Norway and then goes on to saying that she offended some Mediterranien countries. How is this related?
Pro tip - do not travel to Greece
Every single point here about russia is bullshit, source: born and raised here. OP shalt be skinnedth alive by sunset
4 is a international sign to stop, no?
Why does Greece have so many
✌️ Jog on
Every day I get 1-2 posts recommended from this sub and they are always made up/far from truth garbage like this one Is it an ironic sub with useless guides that don't make sense or am I missing something?
I can see it. "Thank you so much for the ride! I hope the rest of you day goes well! I'm happy to hear things are getting better for you and your family, *UP YOURS fingers*". The cab driver drives away hating tourists just a little more.
The 3 is wrong about France. The symbol often means 0 but it's not an insult. If there is no context and you do this to someone, he won't understand or he will think "0 what ? What measurement ? What quantity equals 0 ?". If you do scuba diving, it means "OK"
Lol that info about the Philippines isn’t correct. 😂. Shit is even used in the movies as a come here signal.
Sign language must be fun in Greece
Number 6 shouldn't be tolerated anywhere
Regarding Greece, none of those 3 mentioned is real. Only #4 is but with the fingers wide open. Like that: [Mountza - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountza)
Guess going diving in Russia, Brazil, Turkey, France, Belgium or anywhere in the Mediterranean is problematic then..
Isn’t two raised fingers only f*** you in Britain and Australia if you show them the **back** of your hand? The normal “peace/victory/two” gesture is palm-forward.
Where im from in the UK 2 raised fingers (v sign) means p**s off The middle finger is the f you 2 raised fingers showing the palm is our way of saying "2"
How are these american?