rude gesture

English translation: no name...

11:35 Apr 3, 2004
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings / gestures
English term or phrase: rude gesture
Just curious here, but how do we say in English that gesture where you put your left hand on your right biceps and raise your right forearm with your fist clenched. You don't raise any fingers so it is not the V-sign, as my dictionary says.

All I can think of is 'the "up yours" gesture', but doesn't it have a name? In Spanish it is 'corte de mangas'.
MJ Barber
Spain
Local time: 15:03
Selected answer:no name...
Explanation:
MJ, I've never heard a name for it in English... we have flipping the bird, the OK sign, but I really don't think there's a name for the gesture for up yours... it's also not as widespread as other symbols, except maybe among the Italian community, ASFAIK...
Selected response from:

Marian Greenfield
Local time: 10:03
Grading comment
Thanks, I guess it doesn't have a name in English, rather than the "up yours" gesture.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +5no name...
Marian Greenfield
4 +3doesn't really exist - UK
Charlie Bavington
4 +1go 'n get fisted
Hacene
3 +2va fa'n culo
Nancy Arrowsmith


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


9 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +5
no name...


Explanation:
MJ, I've never heard a name for it in English... we have flipping the bird, the OK sign, but I really don't think there's a name for the gesture for up yours... it's also not as widespread as other symbols, except maybe among the Italian community, ASFAIK...

Marian Greenfield
Local time: 10:03
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 16
Grading comment
Thanks, I guess it doesn't have a name in English, rather than the "up yours" gesture.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Vicky Papaprodromou
3 mins

agree  Michael Deliso: ..agree.. it is in fact "up yours"
10 mins

agree  Alfa Trans (X)
2 hrs

agree  RHELLER: the Italian community brought it to the U.S. and some use the Italian name for it which I have heard but do not remember- agree with Michael
1 day 2 hrs

agree  NancyLynn: Usually understood by the facial expression, loud and foul-sounding (if foreign) language accompanying the gesture
1 day 13 hrs

neutral  Maya Jurt: "gesto dell'ombrello" in Italian
683 days
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21 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
go 'n get fisted


Explanation:
extremely crude, used only in some specific places (Latin communities) and gay community where it is known as the "go 'n get fisted" gesture

Hacene
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:03
Native speaker of: French

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  NancyLynn: Novel way of putting it ;-) LOL my 19-yr-old niece explained it to me this very afternoon, coincidentally!
1 day 13 hrs
  -> Cheers Nancy, but is it new to you? lol ;-) aww these youngsters, they know too much ...lol
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11 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
doesn't really exist - UK


Explanation:
I think your dictionary was probably just trying to give a cultural equivalent, hence the V-sign reference.

In mainstream UK culture, the gesture does not exist, at least not as an offensive one. If you saw someone do it at all, it would likely to be interpreted as a gesture of (personal) triumph.
I'm fairly sure that an average Englishman-on-the-street would not understand it as an offensive gesture at all (I cannot speak for the gay community or those of latin origin, being neither!)

So depending on what you are trying to achieve, you'll either just have to describe "your" gesture and what it means, or sort of "transpose" it (e.g. change it to give a V sign, flip the bird, etc.) or possibly just be as generic as possible, e.g. "he made a 'f*ck you' gesture".

Charlie Bavington
Local time: 14:03
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 15

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  senin
22 hrs

agree  danka: in Croatia it means "f* you"
1 day 10 hrs

agree  elenus
1 day 10 hrs
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1 day 9 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
va fa'n culo


Explanation:
It is very widespread in Italy, and in Italo-American communities, meaning "va fa'n culo", meaning the same as in the "gay" answer. As others have pointed out, it's not used much in mainstream, but here in the US, it's usually understood.

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Note added at 2 days 4 hrs 18 mins (2004-04-05 15:54:47 GMT)
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In American English, often garbled to vafangoo

Nancy Arrowsmith
Local time: 08:03
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Maria Nicholas (X): This is totally it
3 hrs

agree  NancyLynn: Usually understood by the facial expression, loud and foul-sounding (if foreign) language accompanying the gesture
4 hrs
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