List 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 is 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 is performed by lifting the skirt or kilt. It is used in some religious rituals.
• Biting one's thumb was and still is an old rude Italian gesture. It is 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 gesture is made by curling the fingers into a loose fist and moving the hand back and forth in front of the mouth, while the lips is making rounded "o" shape, as though performing fellatio. The gesture usually enhanced with the tongue pricking the inner wall of the cheek. The gesture is considered as a lewd or obscene gesture and depends to the context, may implying some different things linked to fellatio, such as; to inform somebody that someone is performing actual oral sex, offering one, asking one, as a taunting gesture to insult someone as male homosexual or as insulting gesture which means someone is doing sucking up.
• Bowing, lowering the torso or head, is 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 to indicate 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 is a gesture of greeting typically made by women. It is performed by bending the knees while bowing the head.
• Dhyanamudra, sitting with both hands in the lap, signifies concentration.
• Drinking sign. In UK, the gesture for drinking (used for example as an invitation to "go down 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 is a greeting similar to the hand shake or fist bump made by touching elbows.
• Eskimo kissing is a gesture in Western cultures loosely based on an Inuit greeting. It is performed by two people touching noses.
• Eye-rolling, performed by rotating the eyes upward and back down, can indicate incredulity, contempt, boredom, frustration, or exasperation. The gesture can be unconscious or can be performed consciously. The gesture occurs in many countries of the world, and is especially common among adolescents.

• Facepalm is an expression of frustration or embarrassment made by raising the palm of the hand to the face.

• Genuflection is a show of respect by bending at least one knee to the ground.
• Hand-kissing is 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 is a salutation or show of respect made by two people removing their hats.
• Kowtow shows respect by bowing deeply and touching one's head to the ground.
• Mooning is a show of disrespect by displaying one's bare buttocks.
• Mudra refers to ritual gestures in Hinduism or Buddhism.
• Nod, tilting the head up and down, may indicate assent in Western Europe, North America, and the Indian subcontinent, among other places. It 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". It is of British origin and then was popularized in America by the movie The Sting.
• Orant is a gesture made during prayer in which the hands are raised with palms facing outward.
• Puppy face consists of tilting the head down with eyes looking up. It 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) is a common gesture in Italy for expressing indifference. This gesture became the center of a controversy in March 2006, when Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia was photographed allegedly making the gesture to illustrate his response to his critics. 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 is an Arabic gesture of greeting or respect consisting of low bow with the hand touching the forehead.
• Sampeah is a Cambodian greeting or gesture of respect made by lining up the palms and fingers together while bowing.
• Scout sign and salute refers to the use of the Three Finger Salute by Scout and Guide organizations.
• Shush gesture is used to demand or request silence from those to whom it is directed. The index finger of one hand is extended, with the remaining fingers curled toward the palm with the thumb forming a fist. The index finger is placed vertically in front of the lips.
• Sign of the Cross, used in many Christian 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 is made by moving one's finger across one's throat; the gesture imitates cutting a person's throat with a blade. The gesture indicates strong disapproval, extreme anger, or displeasure with others or with oneself. Alternatively, it can be a signal to stop broadcasting.
• Thumbing the nose is a sign of derision in Britain made by putting your thumb on your nose and wiggling your fingers. This gesture is also known as Anne's Fan or Queen Anne's Fan, and is sometimes referred to as cocking a snook.
• 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" is used in some Eastern Orthodox Christian rituals. It consists of bowing deeply and lowering one's head to the ground.