V Sign - Usage

Usage

The meaning of the V sign is partially dependent on the manner in which the hand is positioned. If the palm of the hand faces the signer (i.e., the back of the hand faces the observer), the sign can mean:

  • An insult, largely restricted to Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and United Kingdom.

With the back of the hand facing the signer (palm of the hand facing the observer), it can mean:

  • Two – a non-verbal communication of quantity.
  • Victory – in a setting of wartime or competition. It was first popularised by Winston Churchill. It is sometimes made using both hands with upraised arms as US President Eisenhower, and in imitation of him, Richard Nixon, used to do.
  • Peace; or, friend – used around the world by peace and counter-culture groups; popularized in the American peace movement of the 1960s.
  • The letter V, in American Sign Language – used when spelling.

When used with other movement, it can mean:

  • Air quotes – flexing fingers, palm out, both hands.
  • This hand shape is also used in a number of signs, including "to see/look". When the pointer and middle fingers are pointed at the signer's eyes then turned and the pointer finger is pointed at someone it means "I am watching you."
  • The sign for the ordinal "second" in American Sign Language has the V-sign palm forward, then the hand turns (yaws) until the palm faces backward.

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