“What’s in a sign?”, you may wonder. But there is a lot you can convey with your hand gestures. In certain circumstances, it can either save your day or spell doom. When you are in a foreign land, it especially helps to know the do’s and don’ts with your hands.
In some countries like Australia, US and Canada, 'thumbs up' is a sign of approval or go ahead, but the Bangladeshis take offense at this seemingly harmless gesture.
The 'horn fingers' is popularly used by the rockers, especially in the US, to simply mean keep rocking. What can be something as casual as this could mean something very serious somewhere else. In countries like Italy, Spain, and Argentina, it is another way to tell you that your spouse is not being loyal to you.
This means an 'Okay' or 'perfect' in most countries, but do not use this in Brazil. To the Brazilians, this is a very impolite gesture. It is also used to denote money in Japan, whereas for the French, it simply means 'Zero'.
Countries like Australia, US, Canada and UK cross their fingers while wishing for something to happen. But for the Vietnamese, it is an obscene gesture.
By Neetu George