3 ms·

As a Greek I can assure you that only G is an insult. Judging from this I would guess there are more mistakes there.

by petsos 17y ago

baha_man 17y ago
Yes, in the part about the 'v sign': * Winston Churchill probably used the palm inwards version until it was explained to him that it was a rude gesture. * The 'archers' explanation is very likely wrong. * You hardly ever see it in England nowadays, it's been replaced by the single middle finger. As you say, it makes you wonder how reliable the rest of the article is.
- pbhjpbhj 17y ago
  It's certainly in need of a second version and some editorial oversight but I think the core is good. For example under the "what do these hand signs mean" part I was expecting the OK sign to also say "wanker" as with movement and orientation this is a UK version. OK is definetly out of use here (as a hand sign) and thumbs up is quite childish/dated (like saying "fab").
  - baha_man 17y ago
    As far as the 'thumbs up sign' goes, it's still common enough that it's hard for novice scuba divers to remember that it means 'ascend now' rather than 'everything's OK'.
    - pbhjpbhj 17y ago
      Oh yeah, it's used (it's the BSL sign for "good", I use it quite a lot) but it's kinda cringe-inducing.
NathanKP 17y ago
I guess it was probably written by an American. Also the meaning of hand gestures changes over time, so some of them might have been rude in the past, but are safe now.
nollidge 17y ago
I think this is just old. Some obvious missing ones for the U.S. (any background I've provided is personal conjecture): * The palm-outward vee has meant "peace" since at least the 1960's, and was associated with anti-Vietnam protests and the Hippie movement. * The vee palm-in and tilted to the side also means "peace" or likely "peace out" or "see you later". Around since probably the mid-to-late 1990's and associated with hip-hop culture. * The index and pinky outstretched is the "rock horns" (symbolizing demons or the devil), which you would use to mean "awesome" or "bad-ass". Around since the rise of heavy metal music (late 70's, early 80's).

As a Greek I can assure you that only G is an insult. Judging from this I would guess there are more mistakes there.

by petsos 17y ago

As a Greek I can assure you that only G is an insult. Judging from this I would guess there are more mistakes there.

Yes, in the part about the 'v sign': * Winston Churchill probably used the palm inwards version until it was explained to him that it was a rude gesture. * The 'archers' explanation is very likely wrong. * You hardly ever see it in England nowadays, it's been replaced by the single middle finger. As you say, it makes you wonder how reliable the rest of the article is.

pbhjpbhj 17y ago
It's certainly in need of a second version and some editorial oversight but I think the core is good. For example under the "what do these hand signs mean" part I was expecting the OK sign to also say "wanker" as with movement and orientation this is a UK version. OK is definetly out of use here (as a hand sign) and thumbs up is quite childish/dated (like saying "fab").
- baha_man 17y ago
  As far as the 'thumbs up sign' goes, it's still common enough that it's hard for novice scuba divers to remember that it means 'ascend now' rather than 'everything's OK'.
  - pbhjpbhj 17y ago
    Oh yeah, it's used (it's the BSL sign for "good", I use it quite a lot) but it's kinda cringe-inducing.

NathanKP 17y ago

I guess it was probably written by an American. Also the meaning of hand gestures changes over time, so some of them might have been rude in the past, but are safe now.

nollidge 17y ago

I think this is just old. Some obvious missing ones for the U.S. (any background I've provided is personal conjecture): * The palm-outward vee has meant "peace" since at least the 1960's, and was associated with anti-Vietnam protests and the Hippie movement. * The vee palm-in and tilted to the side also means "peace" or likely "peace out" or "see you later". Around since probably the mid-to-late 1990's and associated with hip-hop culture. * The index and pinky outstretched is the "rock horns" (symbolizing demons or the devil), which you would use to mean "awesome" or "bad-ass". Around since the rise of heavy metal music (late 70's, early 80's).