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Favorite Gestures

Every culture has its ways to communicate non-verbally. The wrong sign can get the innocent traveler into big fist-shaking trouble. Please share any insights you've picked up in your travels.

I want to add my comments! 

Spanish Hand Gesture
It means "come here".
Tina
San Francisco, CA   USA   09/05/2007

Thumbs Up
The double thumbs-up gesture seems common in Italy. It means an enthusiastic A-OK, I think. I like it and think it probably doesn't have a more sinister meaning elsewhere. Just to be safe, I try to avoid hand gestures.
Swan
Napa, USA   07/01/2007

Not OK!
When helped by a friendly shop clerk while visiting friends in Brazil, I tried to overcome the language barrier by signalling the American "OK" - you know - with my thumb and first finger toucing and the other three fingers in the air. My friend quickly grabbed my outstretched hand, pulled it down to my side, and explained this gesture is the same as flipping someone off! That explained the confused look on that sweet clerk's face!
High Adventure Girl
Olathe, Kansas   USA   06/20/2007

Counting in Italy
When you use your fingers to count in Italy remember this. They use their thumbs as 1 & index finger as 2. Most Americans use an index finger to signify 1. I learned this when ordering pizza in Rome. My travel buddy wanted one slice of pizza & held up an index finger & when the order came back it was 2 slices. Live & learn...
Sue Knabel <email>
Louisville, KY   USA   06/11/2007

Response to those squat toilets
Squat toilets: Okay, should there be a new subject category opened for this newly posed dilemma? It IS important to know what to do! I always carefully avoided the "REAL" Paris for fear I'd be confronted with a squat toilet but after a trip to Africa (and watching a young child handle business on the edge of the sidewalk) I was able to "master" the "technique"! So, here goes from someone who knows "how to do it" -- at least for ladies! First, check to see what is provided! If you are an older woman, squatting can be quite difficult on the knees and you certainly don't want to fall over! Is there anything on the wall you can grab hold of? Should you loop a scarf or belt through a door handle to give you momentum when trying to get up? Do you need to spread extra paper that you brought on the floor to set your hands on as you push yourself up? Do you have an umbrella or walking stick to help you up? Think about this!!! Now, the technique... This is when wearing a skirt REALLY has advantages! Hold your skirt up around your waist--maybe tuck it in under your bra??? Pull your panties down to, or just below, your knees. Squat ALL the way--don't just hunch over or you'll dribble down your legs! (Be careful not to tilt too far back or your bottom may touch the toilet floor (eeoooh!)Perhaps keep another piece of toilet paper handy so you can control and block a shooting stream of pee! (That is also why you want your panties near your knees so they are as high off the ground as possible.) If you must do #2, you'll wonder why we Americans don't do "squats"! This body position makes taking care of business SO much easier and satisfying!--Honest! Yes, this is a gross subject, but VERY needed! Only as a very small child did I ever have to squat in the woods--one time so never learned "how"! If I had not seen that little child in Africa, I would have made a mess in toilet stalls, behind trees and even on the game preserve! Remember--squat all the way! Let your thigh skin touch your calve skin!
Been there, done that!
USA   05/11/2007

gestures
Waving the hand in front of the face in Germany means that you are crazy. They call it blöt. It usually happens in traffic and if someone does this to you, you have done something stupid.
Mary Sterck
Übach-Palenberg, USA   04/27/2007

Head Shake in Bulgaria
In Bulgaria, the "yes" and "no" headshakes are reversed. And, while most Bulgarians have no problem understanding your "yes" and "no" it may not stop them from shakeing their head "no" "no" "no" as you talk with them.
Jason
Webster Groves, MO   USA   02/25/2007

German gestures
I agree with the hand wave in front of the face in Germany, I use that a lot here in the states. It sort of means "hello? what were you thinking." Another favorite is pointing the index finger twice on your forehead, that means someone is stupid. Sort of like an "insert brain here" gesture. Also comes in handy in the states if you don't want anyone to know what you mean.
Julia
Seattle, WA   USA   02/16/2007

Spanish Hand Gesture
Does anyone know what the hand gesture means when you hold your palm face up, and then flip it over, to face down, with fingers pointing away from you.

This happened a few times in Spain.. I have a feeling what it meant..
PiE
Mississauga, Ontari   Canada   02/12/2007

Hand waving and blank faces in Germany
In Germany, you can be ticketed or worse for "giving someone the finger" while driving. So if you accidentally cut someone off, or fail to get out of the way of someone flying at you in the fast lane, expect to see folks wave their hand palm in in front of their own face, while mouthing explatives at you. Then of course, there is the German "un-gesture." The default facial expression in most of Germany is none at all. If you smile with out some really obvious reason, most Germans will either A) think you are not right in the head or B) immediately pick you out as a foreigner.
Bergisch Gladbach, Germany   01/16/2007

Croatian Shrug
Of course its the Croatian shrug. I know a man in US who always shrugs and was from Croatia many years ago. He never forgot his shrug., well I finally understood it when we went to Croatia. It hysterical!!
USA   12/28/2006

Croatias shrug!!
in Croatia its the shrug. Read about it in Ricks books, and we laughed when we would get it from everyone.
USA   11/16/2006

Sicily
My favorite is the index finger drilling into the cheek to indicate "good food."
Swan
USA   11/02/2006