CafeMom asked a flesh-and-blood teenager to help us decode the popular hand signals that crop up among teens and most often on social media, and while some of her answers may sound like common sense, some of the others are pretty shocking. Thumbs down on the thumbs-up sign when you're traveling. This seemingly-innocuous gesture that means, "Great! A Nod is Not Always a Yes A thumb signal, usually described as a thumbs-up or thumbs-down, is a common hand gesture achieved by a closed fist held with the thumb extended upward or downward in approval or disapproval, respectively. If you’ve gotten to the end of a message and want to add some Emoji for a little color, that’s not a problem either. The thumbs-up gesture is commonly used in many cultures to signify a job well done. Thumbs Up - Side - Down. After presenting a lesson, or part of a lesson, the teacher asks students to use their hand to signal their depth of understanding. The thumbs-up gesture is a sign of approval in most countries. Accepted File Formats: Standard Web Formats (.jpg, .gif or .png); Vector Formats (.eps, .pdf or .ai) We need three icons - one for thumbs up, one for thumbs down, and one with a thumb in the middle … Creating a circle from your thumb and index finger is a sexual insult in Greece. A thumbs up means “I have a good understanding.” But sometimes those … Thumbs up. But wherever it derives, the positive “thumbs up” in Western cultures is a big no-no in other countries, such as Greece, Italy, and some throughout the Middle East. The thumbs-up sign that today means “O.K.” in that lexicon expressed disapproval. This formative assessment technique quickly allows the teacher to gauge the understanding of the learners in his/her classroom. OK. This works mid-sentence and is a super quick way to avoid having to switch keyboards when composing a message. In the Middle East, for example, it means up your butt, fella. It even works for multi-word Emoji names, like “Thumbs up.” How to Quickly Add an Emoji After Typing. ... again, isn’t pictured. From thumbs up to a fist pump, we often think using our hands to communicate helps break language barriers when traveling the world. However, if it is used in Australia, Greece, or the Middle East -- especially if it is thrust up as a typical hitchhiking gesture would be -- it means essentially "Up yours!" in the U.S. has pretty awful meanings elsewhere. I like it! The OK sign, with the thumb and finger forming a circle, also is offensive in many Asian countries as well as Brazil and Germany, although in Japan it represents money. When you don’t know the local language, body language can be a helpful way to understand what is going on.Traveling to an Arab country can definitely be colorful because of the enormous amount of gesticulation that Arabs do while talking. 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