Required reading for tourists
Hands in pocket aren’t really a offensive thing in Germany and even less the A-OK gesture.
The hands in pocket is very complex though, it has to do with France occupation of the Ruhr area after WW1 and is more of a sign of rebellion. Before that it was used together with the uprising against factory owners exploitation and the start of unions. It basically means “im not working for you until you meet my demands” so not offensive in the common sense
When I was a Brit in school my teachers would often say to me ‘take your hands out of your pockets while speaking to me!’, so its more an etiquette thing rather than being rude, I’d say.
Yeah its etiquette, but i think its everywhere.
Idk where it comes from but it might be because most languages aren’t just spoken, but also gestured and its unnatural to hide your hands speaking.
Also for some reason they took a very specific reason for the german flag calles Dienstflagge
Legally they are actually not allowed to use that, but i thought they might have used that so muricans don’t mix it up with Belgium. (although it’s not there) or they are just idiots.
Having hands in pockets is also a grave offense against Navy Chiefs
They should be insulted more often if they’re this nitpicky about hands…
A OK isn’t an offensive gesture in turkey this is full of shit
It ist either in germany
An inverted positioning by having the back of your hand seen, making the gesture downwards instead of upwards, and a general irrelevance of the other fingers than thumb and index finger is widely used as a slur to indicate a person is gay.
Other than both symbols making a chamber using thumb and index fingers, yeah A OK and that has no relation at all.
And on the topic of “The Fig”, I have never seen it used to indicate vagina. It has always been a very rude rejection of a request or a simple taunt similar to showing one’s ass in a “kiss my ass” kind of meaning. At least from what I have seen in my childhood and teenager years, this had no open meaning about vagina, although it is not far fetched to have it mean “pussy/chicken” as a similar taunt.
first one I haven’t come across yet and I am a turkish person maybe it’s older and not as widely used anymore? but yeah ur right about “the fig” (or “nah” hehe)
It can vary from place to place and group to group I guess. These things hardly have the same meaning in a general population. They sometimes even derive more meanings. The top comment (by u/soulreaverdan) in this reddit post suggest that it is a 90s joke with somewhat meaning a “got you” or derivatively derogatory “you got cucked/you are a bottom” among teens horsing around.
Never heard of the political or in-group meanings, tho.
But definitely not something a lot of mildly unruly teens would use. It was more of a bully or toxic alpha male thing back when I was a teen. I don’t see it anymore, either, thankfully.
Not only are the gestures for Germany not offensive in Germany (“the fig” is known as an offencife gestere here though. Probably because of the Turkish influence), but the flag with emblem was used. The emblem is only to be used by federal agencies.
Or prior to 1990 to differentiate west and east Germany.
Also, I‘d say, depending on the context, hands in pockets might be perceived as rude, especially by older people. I‘d guess that the a-ok thing is also primarily considered rude by older people, I only really know it as a-ok.
If you are in Britain, the places where anyone actually travels wouldn’t mind hands in pockets in the same way elbows on tables is fine. Outer suburbs and the Tory heartlands might get wound up if there isn’t a festival on but there legitimately isn’t much reason to go there outside of that.
I need to learn my flags.
I wouldn’t do it from this guide. Germany will trip you up.
Wanker isnt just Britain its australia and most likely nz as well.
Can a non US anglosphere person comment on the V gesture?
I’ve known several brits and australians and asked them about the weird little differences that would include this and I have never heard of this being used like… offensively, as in ‘I am going to win a war with you!’
I always just thought it was developed during world war two as a shorthand way of saying ‘we will win this’, not as a way to like disparage someone?
It’s understood the same as a middle finger would be, except more Britishly.
Growing up, the story was that it came from when longbows were peak weaponry and the French were chopping the fingers off of captured English archers - the V sign was saying something like “fuck you, I can still shoot you”. There’s insult/defiance/threat in there but it’s not like throwing down the gauntlet (to be clear, we don’t do that gesture any more).
See, I had heard a different version of that story which was that this is where the middle finger expression came from, that a bunch of bowmen drew with their middle finger, thus the French would chop those off, and raising a single middle finger was a sign of ‘fuck you, i can still send hate downrange’.
I’m a Brit, always thought it meant “Fuck you.”
Welp, thats good enough for me, I believe you.
V for Victory or the Peace sign is knuckles facing back. V for “Eat my entire arse” is knuckles forward.
I’ve never seen or heard of any Aussies or Kiwis doing this, and they don’t hold back on their feelings.
In Morocco you hold your hand flat with your palm facing upwards then move your middle finger upwards so it’s at about 45 degrees from your other fingers. You can do the same gesture with your hand pointing upwards as well (works well when driving).
I only did it once and the driver who it was aimed at looked so shocked I never did it again. Don’t know what it means.
That Corna one over there, at least in Portugal, comes from we saying to put (on) the horns (por os cornos) means you’re cheating on your partner, making them the horned one (cornuda/chifrudo).
So I think doing that gesture to someone not your partner is an insult as much as any other hand gesture you can make as long as you are talking angrily.
