Types of Gestures - Gestures Made With Other Body Parts

Gestures Made With Other Body Parts

• Air kiss, conveys meanings similar to kissing, but is performed without making bodily contact
• Akanbe, performed by pulling a lower eyelid down to expose the red underneath, often while also sticking out one's tongue, and is a childish insult in Japanese culture
• Anasyrma, performed by lifting the skirt or kilt; used in some religious rituals
• Biting the thumb, an old rude Italian gesture comparable to "the finger" in modern terms; in William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, Capulet's servant Sampson precipitates a brawl by biting his thumb at the Montague's servant Abraham (Act 1, Scene 1) In the scene, it appears that biting one's thumb in Verona is a non-verbal equivalent of fighting words. Sampson explains the meaning of the gesture to his companion Gregory, suggesting that the gesture could have been unfamiliar even to the original audience of the play. The play does not describe the gesture in detail, but in performances of the play it is often enacted by placing the thumb upright (as in a "thumbs up" sign) just behind the upper incisors, then flicking the thumb outward in the direction of person the gesture is meant to insult. The gesture implies cowardice—someone who would "take the fig". The gesture is also a traditional Sicilian insult meaning 'to hell with you'.
• Blowing a raspberry or Bronx cheer, signifies derision by sticking out the tongue and blowing to create a sound similar to flatulence
• Blow job, made by curling the fingers into a loose fist and moving the hand back and forth in front of the mouth, while the lips make a rounded "o" shape, as though performing fellatio; usually enhanced with the tongue pricking the inner wall of the cheek; considered lewd or obscene and depends on the context, implies different things linked to fellatio, such as informing somebody that someone is performing actual oral sex, offering one, asking one, as a taunting gesture to insult someone as male homosexual, or as an indication of "sucking up"
• Bowing, lowering the torso or head; a show of respect in many cultures
• Cheek kissing, pressing one's lips to another person's cheek, may show friendship or greeting

• Choking sign, indicates that one is choking is to hold the throat with one or both hands as if strangling oneself. This is recognized as a request for immediate first aid for choking. It is promoted as a way to prevent onlookers from confusing the victim's distress with some other problem, such as a heart attack, when the person cannot speak.
• Curtsey, a greeting typically made by women, performed by bending the knees while bowing the head
• Davai vyp’yem (Russian drinking sign), the index finger is flicked against the side of the neck, just below the jaw.
• Dhyanamudra, sitting with both hands in the lap; signifies concentration
• Drinking sign, in the United Kingdom, the gesture for drinking (used for example as an invitation to "go down to the pub") is made by putting the back of the thumb just below the lower lip, while the other fingers are close together as if holding an imaginary pint of beer, tipping it repeatedly. This gesture can also be used to imply that somebody is drunk, either literally or insultingly.
• Elbow bump, a greeting similar to the handshake or fist bump made by touching elbows
• Eskimo kissing, a gesture in Western cultures loosely based on an Inuit greeting, performed by two people touching noses
• Eye-roll, performed by rotating the eyes upward and back down; can indicate incredulity, contempt, boredom, frustration, or exasperation; can be performed unconsciously or consciously; occurs in many countries of the world, and is especially common among adolescents

• Facepalm, an expression of frustration or embarrassment made by raising the palm of the hand to the face
• Genuflection, a show of respect by bending at least one knee to the ground
• Hand-kissing, a greeting made by kissing the hand of a person worthy of respect
• Hand over heart, involves placing one's right hand, palm outstretched and facing in, over one's heart; male hat or cap wearers typically remove their hats and hold them in this hand. In some cultures, it is used as a gesture of respect towards flags or during singing of a national anthem. In the United States, it is usually performed as a part of the rituals of the Pledge of Allegiance.
• Hat tip or doff, a salutation or show of respect made by two people removing their hats
• Head jerk, a quick, sudden, upward movement of the head, usually accompanied with the phrase "'sup" (a slur for "what's up?")
• Kowtow, shows respect by bowing deeply and touching one's head to the ground
• Mooning, a show of disrespect by displaying one's bare buttocks
• Mudra, ritual gestures in Hinduism or Buddhism
• Nod, tilting the head up and down that usually indicates assent in Western Europe, North America, and the Indian subcontinent, among other places but a nod also means the opposite in other places, such as Bulgaria
• Touching or tapping the side of the nose with the index finger, means "we share a secret"; of British origin that was the popularized in America by the film The Sting
• Orant, a gesture made during prayer in which the hands are raised with palms facing outward
• Puppy face, tilting the head down with eyes looking up, like a puppy; has a number of uses
• Putting a slightly cupped hand, with palm down, under the chin and then flicking the fingers out (usually once or twice), a common gesture in Italy for expressing indifference; became the center of a controversy in March 2006, when United States Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia was photographed allegedly making the gesture to illustrate his response to his critics; a Boston Herald reporter misinterpreted it as "obscene" but Scalia later explained that he merely meant "I couldn't care less."
• Shrug, lifting both shoulders indicates lack of knowledge or concern
• Salaam, an Arabic salute of greeting or respect consisting of low bow with the hand touching the forehead
• Sampeah, a Cambodian greeting or gesture of respect made by lining up the palms and fingers together while bowing
• Scout sign and salute, the use of the three-finger salute by Scout and Guide organizations
• Shush, the index finger of one hand is extended and placed vertically in front of the lips, with the remaining fingers curled toward the palm with the thumb forming a fist; used to demand or request silence from those to whom it is directed
• Sign of the Cross, used in many Christianity rituals, consists of drawing the shape of a cross over one's body or in the air
• Thai greeting, or wai, shows respect or reverence by pressing the palms and fingers together

• Throat slash, made by moving one's index finger or entire hand, held straight and with palm down, horizontally across one's throat; the gesture imitates cutting a person's throat with a blade, indicating strong disapproval, extreme anger, or displeasure with others or with oneself; alternatively, it can be a signal to stop broadcasting, i.e. "cut"
• Thumbing the nose (also known as Anne's Fan or Queen Anne's Fan and sometimes referred to as cocking a snook), a sign of derision in Britain made by putting the thumb on the nose, holding the palm open and perpendicular to the face, and wiggling the remaining fingers, often combined with sticking out the tongue. In a two-handed version each thumb is placed in or slightly in front of the ears, the palms are open and facing forward, and the rest of the fingers wiggle.
• Twisting the cheek, thumb and forefinger are placed against the cheek, and a screwing motion, as if making a dimple, is made by twisting the wrist; in Italian culture, this can mean "I see a pretty girl" or that something is delicious; in Germany, the gesture can be used to suggest that someone is crazy
• Zemnoy poklon or "great bow", used in some Eastern Orthodox Christian rituals, consists of bowing deeply and lowering one's head to the ground