What does it mean when you show your index finger. Thumb up and protruding little finger or what does the “Shaka” gesture mean for young people

It is generally believed that when we show someone a thumbs up as a sign of praise, we repeat another gesture of the ancient Romans - the thumb pointing up meant “spare”. But this opinion is not true.

D. Morris in the book “Gestures” explains that the Romans supported the vanquished not by sticking out the thumb, but by covering it with their hand. When the spectators wanted the victorious gladiator to finish off the enemy, they waved their hands to him, putting their thumbs aside (Morris believes that this was supposed to represent a blow with a dagger).

And, indeed, a thumb bent in any direction meant death for the vanquished, symbolizing a drawn sword. And to save the life of the war, the audience showed a clenched fist, which meant a sword hidden in a sheath.

artist Jean-Leon Gerome

If the thumbs-up gesture really originated in Rome, one would expect it to remain popular in the Mediterranean today. But, as it turned out, it is in Italy and Greece, unlike other European countries, that this gesture is rarely used in an approving sense. In many areas of Greece and southern Italy, a protruding finger is generally perceived as an obscene insult.In Australia and Nigeria, it means "get out of here!" In this case, the direction of the intended departure is indicated with the thumb.In Europe, it means "excellent!" or used by hitchhikers to stop their car.

Most likely, the birthplace of this gesture is in completely different places.

It is not easy to trace its origin - however, the history of gestures is, in principle, difficult to study, since the sources are slurred and contradictory. One can only refer to Morris and other authoritative specialists. They believe that Western culture in general tends to associate bottom-up movement with positive feelings and optimism, and top-down movement with negative feelings and pessimism. The finger, protruding upward, is directed towards the sky. In the 1970s, the index finger extended upward became the symbol of fundamentalist Christians. For them, this gesture not only means “God is one” or “there is no other way to salvation except ours,” but also reminds us where God lives and where good Christians will someday go.

Perhaps we stick out our thumbs as a sign of approval simply because it is easier to do it physically. Try to stick out some other finger, bending all the others.

F. W. Burley

Is President Obama a Muslim? Much has been written about this, but if pictures speak louder than words, then a photo taken at the U.S.-African leaders' summit last August in Washington, D.C. can shed a lot of light on the matter.

At it, Barack Hussein Obama raised one finger, reaffirming his Islamic faith to dozens of African delegates.
The Associated Press captured this amazing photo as African dignitaries posed with Obama, who was hosting the event, for a group photo in the State Department auditorium. She was featured in an article in the UK Daily Mail, her only publication.

The gesture - one finger up - is a distinctive Muslim gesture: the index finger is raised up, the thumb is bent and presses on the phalanx of the middle finger. The remaining fingers are clenched in the palm to emphasize the extended index finger. The raised finger symbolizes Muhammad's concept of one God and is clear to all believers, representing the symbolic "shahada", the Muslim formula of faith:

“There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet.”

Thus, when the believers raise their index finger, they demonstrate their commitment to the concept of God Muhammad. They also affirm their belief in Muhammad's claim that he represents the link between God and man. They also show that they are part of ummah, an exclusive inter-tribal supercommunity of believers, formed by Muhammad 1400 years ago.

By raising his index finger, Obama confirmed that he is part of this community.

The Daily Mail editors didn't understand what that meant. They just recorded this gesture from Obama. But the African dignitaries understood everything perfectly and showed a whole range of emotions when they saw this gesture: amazement, surprise, curiosity, disapproval, contempt. Note the reactions of Abdelil Benkiran, the Moroccan prime minister, standing behind Obama's left shoulder, and Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, the white-headed president of Mali. They are undoubtedly Muslims and they are smiling. They know what Obama's vertically raised index finger means.

The reaction of Togo's President Faure Gnassinbe, top row second from left, is less favorable. It is easy to read the thoughts of this educated leader, a graduate of the Sorbonne and the George Washington University, in his face. His face screams: "You must be joking!"

The country of Gnassinbe is located between Benin and the Ivory Coast, not far from Nigeria, and the Boko Haram plague is perhaps a two-hour flight in tiny Chesna from the capital of Togo to the capital of Nigeria, less than an hour on something faster. Just at the time of the conference in Washington, Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau declared the state of Borno in northeast Nigeria the site of his caliphate. There were massacres of entire villages. Just a few months ago, nearly three hundred girls were abducted from Borno High School.

The population of Togo is seven million people, 50 percent of them animists, 30 percent Christians. The rest are Muslims "Ummah". Gnassinbe and other non-Muslims in Togo have every reason to be concerned about the radicalization of some members of this inter-tribal supercommunity of Muhammad living among them. And so his gaze expresses contempt. "You must be joking."

Maybe Obama was joking, but it's unlikely. The raised index finger was an expression of his position, stated brazenly. All the activities of his administration were propaganda of Islam in the country and abroad, and just listing the evidence of this, one could write a whole book. From ordering NASA to ensure that Muslims are treated well, he has made the US a country where Islam is comfortable, to referring to ISIS decapitated victim Peter Kassig by a Muslim name even though he converted to Islam in the vain hope of saving his life.

If only Obama's actions were limited to such gestures! But from the very beginning of his reign, he did everything possible to overthrow governments with strong political leaders that contained Islamic extremism in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen. The overthrow of the Syrian government was also part of the program, not yet achieved, but still possible. The methodology of each coup was based on the tactics of the old school of radicalism: stir up internal problems, provoke drastic retaliatory measures, and then use the reaction to discredit the government by fanning more unrest until the regime under the gun was replaced.

Obama is comfortable with extreme Islam. He is arming such people throughout the Middle East. He brought them into our government. He supported Mohammed Morsi, leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, as a replacement for Hosni Mubarak, a staunch US ally and enemy of the Muslim Brotherhood. He threatened and mocked Egypt when, as a result of powerful unrest, Morsi was replaced by a moderate leadership.

All these efforts are aimed at restoring the Islamic caliphate, the path chosen by the successors of Muhammad, which ended almost a century ago with the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. This has always been the goal of the Muslim Brotherhood. Their grandiose plans included the restoration of a caliphate stretching across the entire Middle East, with Jerusalem as its capital. The glory of Islam has risen! These people are striving for world domination, and the caliphate will serve as the basis of an ever-expanding war with the whole world until Islam dominates it. This has always been their goal. Muhammad ordered his followers to create a universal "Ummu" in which Islam will be the only religion. Like Obama, they're just following orders.

The caliphate was resurrected last year, just not in the hands of the Muslim Brotherhood, at least not yet. However, it happened. The caliphate was created by Obama, and he only marginally pushed him back. Now he has asked the US Congress for permission to use military force against what he has created. What is Obama up to? The purpose of everything he does is to cause harm. What evil is he up to now?

There is nothing American in Obama's head. He is the antithesis of the American, the polar opposite of all his values, which he regularly destroys. He is an unabashed member of the inter-tribal supercommunity created by Muhammad 1,400 years ago. He belongs ummah and not America. His raised index finger at the Conference of African Leaders clearly testifies to this.

Translation:

In everyday life, people constantly accompany their speech with hand movements and facial expressions. Most often this happens unconsciously, but sometimes gestures are used intentionally to enhance the emotional and expressive coloring of words, to demonstrate one's mood, attitude to the situation or interlocutor. Having studied some finger gestures and their meaning, you can succinctly formulate a message, quickly convey it to others, as the deaf and dumb do. Consider the most common signs, and also explain their meaning.

thumb up and down

With a gesture thumb up Everyone has known each other since childhood. Usually it symbolizes approval or consent, accompanied by an appropriate nod, so it is always perceived positively in our country. Often used by voting travelers on the road when it is necessary to stop the transport. However, you need to be careful when you use your fingers with foreigners, because in the sign language of the inhabitants of Australia, Greece and the UK, such a sign is regarded as an obscene expression, and among the Arabs it is generally associated with the male genital organ.

When thumb down, the gesture takes on the opposite meaning - that is, an expression of discontent, dissatisfaction. Today it is reflected in social networks and the YouTube channel. The pictogram depicting him is called a "dislike".

Forefinger

The next gesture is not so unambiguous and is deciphered depending on the situation, taking into account additional signals. It's index finger up. There are several options for interpreting it:

applied to the center of the lips - they are asked to keep silence;
lift vertically at head level or higher - require attention or stop immediately;
move it from side to side - express their disagreement or prohibition;
shake up and down - teach or threaten with punishment;
twisted at the temple - they show that the person is out of his mind.

According to his position during a conversation, it is determined whether a person is telling the truth or lying. If, for example, the eyes look in one direction, and the index finger is directed in the other and slightly bent, then the interlocutor is most likely insincere.

Middle finger up

Since the time of ancient Rome, in almost all civilized countries, the meaning of the middle finger gesture has been indecent and offensive. Stretched up, it symbolizes today the male genital organ. This is a rough form of the phrase "Get out!" or "Back off!" among young people. In our country, it is borrowed from cool American action movies and vulgar 18+ youth comedies.

Crossing fingers

The hand is very often used by superstitious people as a magical tool that can scare away evil spirits and attract good luck. In their understanding, crossed fingers (index and middle) have a protective power. This gesture means the unity of faith and power, associated with the cross. One of the fingers symbolizes hope for a better outcome, and the other - help and support. Sometimes they are intertwined on both hands and hidden behind the back in order to lie, but at the same time avoid the punishment of higher powers.

Research by British scientists from University College proves that such actions are not unreasonable. They even found scientific confirmation. In their opinion, the gesture really helps to reduce pain. But do not try to show it to the Vietnamese if you do not want to offend him greatly.

Two fingers up V - victory

In Russia and many other European countries, the gesture of two fingers with an open palm means absolute victory or confidence in the proximity of its achievement. This is due to the fact that the index and middle fingers, directed upwards, look like the letter V. That, in turn, is an abbreviation for the Latin word Victoria - victory. For the first time in the world, the sign was used by Winston Churchill. However, it is also not universal for everyone. The British, Australians and New Zealanders will consider the gesture as an insult if the brush is turned back to them. In Russia, this option is interpreted as the number 2.

Three fingers up

It is known that during the Second World War, German soldiers greeted the commander-in-chief during the oath, showing three fingers at the same time - thumb, index and middle. In the concept of a Russian, this sign means the number or quantity 3.

Goat

Few people know that protective properties are attributed to a gesture in which all fingers are clenched into a fist, except for the index and little fingers, so it is often used by magicians when performing mystical rituals. However, thanks to rock stars, he is more familiar to people as a "rocker goat". In combination with a protruding tongue, it expresses insolence or a state of madness.

In Russia, "goat" can be deciphered to demonstrate one's power and superiority over others. It also serves as a comic imitation of butting cattle.

Shaka and tongue between fingers

A hand clenched into a fist with a protruding thumb and little finger near the ear is associated by many with a telephone conversation, a request or a promise to call back. But if the action is accompanied by a characteristic tilt of the head or the touch of the little finger to the lips, then it acquires a different meaning, associated with a call to drink alcohol, use narcotic cigarettes.

In Hawaii, "Shaka" is taken as a sign of greeting. It is popular with surfers, skydiving and Brazilian jiu-jitsu wrestlers. It is also used to express jubilation by some famous football players who have scored a goal.

OK

The generally accepted meaning of the gesture is to notify others that there are no problems and everything is in order. Favorite sign among residents. However, in Turkey it is offensive to the person to whom it is addressed, as it implies an accusation of non-traditional sexual orientation.

Fig or fig

For Russians, a twisted fist with a sticking out thumb between the other two is a contemptuous form of refusal. In ancient Rus', the fig symbolized coitus, could be used to scare away evil spirits. There are several more names - shish, fig, dulya. But if for a resident of Russia it means an insult, mockery, then for a Brazilian it means protection from the evil eye or a talisman to attract good luck. That is why there you can find pendants, pendants and figurines depicting a figure.

Spire folded with fingertips

As psychologists note, balanced, confident in their abilities and their own competence connect the fingertips of the hands with a “house” of personality. The spire can mean thinking at the moment of making an important decision or demonstrate an increased interest in the words of the interlocutor.

In the practice of yogis, fingertips closed in rings help to meditate, find peace, and focus on the main thing.

Rubbing your thumb on the tips of others

Such manipulation can be seen in crime films. It means banknotes, virtually crunchy in the hands. Another such gesture is used at a time when it is necessary to clarify one's thought, to urgently remember something, but it does not work out.

Clasped fingers

The hands clenched into the lock serve as a kind of psychological barrier. Can inform about various human conditions:

on the head - experience, confusion, shock;
kneeling - hidden tension, stiffness;
in front of you, while the head is directed upwards - an expression of distrust of the information provided, disagreement with the opinion expressed.

It is very difficult to negotiate with a business partner whose fingers are tightly clasped into the castle. To make him relax, you need to invite him to watch something, and then try to discuss the issue again.

In most countries, the outstretched palm means "stop." In a conversation, a gesture formulates a request to stop, to stop doing something.

It is also a sign of greeting people and farewell to them. Depends on what the situation is. However, the Greeks express negative emotions with the help of such a friendly five. Namely - the desire to move in the face. They have this manipulation called mundza, it has a funny story of occurrence. So, at the dawn of the Byzantine Empire, the judge had a way of humiliating punishment of petty criminals - smearing ashes on the face of the offender.

Inviting gesture with index finger

With an outstretched forward curving finger, most often people call to themselves the one with whom they want to sort things out. It is perceived by a person jokingly, but sometimes it can offend. It is a sign of a lack of culture among those who use it.

Fist

Clenching the fist shows strong tension, readiness to repel the attack of the enemy, and also means an open threat, the intention to hit in the face. Symbolizes power.

Russian and English alphabet with gestures

The language of the deaf and dumb is the main way they interact with the outside world. It allows people with hearing and speech impairments to communicate. Each gesture corresponds to a letter of the alphabet or a word. This can be better represented in the form of a table.

As you can see, the same gestures can be interpreted in different ways. That is why they should be interpreted as a system and not individually. And apply only when appropriate.

Gestures from combinations of fingers in different cultures have a very different meaning. So, for example, the “thumbs up” symbol can speak both of a decision to pardon the vanquished (a famous gesture at the time of the struggle of Roman gladiators), and of the usual request for a ride, to take a fellow traveler (hitchhiking), if we are talking about a thumb raised up by the road somewhere in America. The index finger carries other information. Let's look at everything in more detail.

What is this thumbs up symbol?

It is clear that the meaning of the symbol depends precisely on which country and which finger is used. And here there are a great many options: from greetings and approval to indecent analogies.

The index finger of the right hand, raised up, among Muslims is a symbol of the proclamation of monotheism, that is, translated into Russian it means: "There is no God but Allah!".
In Germany, this gesture says: "Everything is fine."
In Slavic countries, the index finger raised up means a call for attention from others, and in American schools, students thus ask the teacher for permission to answer a question.
If at the time of the conversation you raise your index finger up and shake it from side to side, then the interlocutor of almost any nationality will understand this as a rejection of the offer or unwillingness to discuss the topic.

What are we talking about with a thumbs up?

The symbol - the index and thumb connected with the others raised up, means in America and most European countries: "Everything is fine!". But in Brazil and Turkey, such a gesture will be perceived as an insult.

A resident of Holland, inviting you to a friendly drinking party, will raise his little finger, and take his thumb to the side. Here you will probably want to answer him with the gesture described above. Still: "Everything is fine"! And the Frenchman can raise his little finger in response, which will mean: “Get away from me!”

If someone raises their thumb up - the symbol hardly needs a special decoding - this is a sign of good luck, recognition that everything is going as it should, agreement with the proposed program of action, etc.

True, in Turkey and the Arab countries, such a gesture is a phallic symbol, and in Greece it is a demand: “Shut up!”.

Most common symbol

The thumbs up is also raised in other cases. True, not one, but two: we are talking about the V-shaped sign known in Europe with the index and middle fingers of the hand.

It was introduced during the Second World War by Winston Churchill to indicate victory, and since then this gesture has become very popular. True, for the British, one nuance is important in it: which side is the palm turned to the speaker at this moment. If with the back, then it is: “victory” (“victory”), but if with the palm, then its interpretation becomes offensive.

No less popular is another gesture: “goat”. We are talking about the index finger and little finger raised up. On the territory of the CIS, this is the infamous "rocker" symbol. The thumb is raised in a similar way as a sign of superiority over someone, a desire to humiliate him. Although in mystical rituals this sign is protection from dark forces.

What does the pointing finger up gesture mean for Muslims?

Quite often, in recent times, one can see in pictures or video reports how Muslim militants raise their index fingers. It turns out that this gesture does not mean anything offensive and defiant in itself for Muslims. This is simply a gesture of affirmation that Allah is one, that is, the index finger simply means one. Although some people seriously suspected that this gesture was analogous to the European raised middle finger, and I even had to read the explanation that this is an offensive gesture, because this finger is considered analogous to Russian burdock in the desert lands.

Azamatik

Muslim gesture - index finger raised up - means "Allah is one"(there is no God but Allah).

I don’t understand why it’s for show, to be photographed, performing this gesture, and so on.

It is strange when non-Muslims (the same militants, terrorists) make the same gesture. They contradict themselves: after all, Islam does not welcome the killing of people.

Jannet

This means not at all that well-known gesture, where the raised middle finger of the hand carries an insulting tone. We are talking about a vertically raised index finger of the right hand. This is a religious gesture, such a gesture is considered a sign of "tawhid", which expresses the faith of Muslims in the uniqueness of Allah.

Why do Muslims always point their index finger up? What does this gesture mean?

Alla㋛♠♣♦

The finger of the right hand raised up is a symbol of the declaration of monotheism among Muslims) by the way, for those who profess Islam, the left hand is considered "unclean". Therefore, if you hold out a gift or money with your left hand, you may offend a Muslim.)

Eugene of Ardynsky, is your god Jesus? You don't even know who your God is, how can you call everything else evil!?
The central person for Christian worship is the Son of God - Jesus
Christ (hence the name "Christians").
It is through him that Christians come
to God the Father. God the Father is the only image of God for Christians, Jews and Muslims.

They heard a ringing, but they don’t know where it came from! Among the Wahhabis, such a sign is common - an index finger extended upwards. According to the naive ideas of the "Salafis", this sign should demonstrate their commitment to monotheism - after all, God is one, like a finger. Wahhabis are very fond of posing for photos with such a “finger”, thereby wanting to show their “monotheism”. However, there are no hadiths that would speak of such a finger as some kind of symbol of Islam or monotheism.
Where did this gesture come from?
The fact is that the index finger stretched upwards is one of the main symbols of Freemasonry, which, in turn, borrowed it from ancient pagan religions, where this finger symbolized a person’s connection with “higher powers” (that is, Satan).
Also in the rituals of black magic, Satan himself is usually depicted with his finger raised up, as can be seen in the photo below.
Thus, since Wahhabism was an invention of English Freemasonry, someone introduced this sign into it so that the “Salafis” would bear the satanic mark on themselves.

What does a raised index finger mean for Muslims

On the Internet, you can often find images of Muslims raising the index finger of their right hand.

Like many other gestures, this one has its own meaning among different peoples.

Among Russians, a straightened index finger, while the others are bent at the same time, is used as a regular pointer, and educated citizens consider this gesture too deliberate and therefore unacceptable.

In Muslim society, it has a completely different meaning.

Origin of the gesture

Islam is one of the youngest world religions, having absorbed the experience of many other cultural traditions and beliefs.

The gesture in the form of a raised index finger was borrowed from the pagans of the Mediterranean. First of all, among the Greeks, among whom he denoted an invisible connection with the world of the gods. In the Renaissance, famous masters of painting often portrayed the heroes of the ancient epic, historical figures, even angels with their fingers raised up. This can be seen in the works of da Vinci, Raphael, other artists and sculptors.

The raised finger literally points to the sky, where the immortal deities live. But Islam, as a monotheistic religion, could not borrow this gesture from the pagans in exactly the same meaning.

If a Muslim raises his index finger, he thereby affirms monotheism. The gesture literally symbolizes that neither in this sublunar world nor in heaven there is any other Lord except Allah. Muslims seem to say: "God is one, like this raised finger." Such a gesture is often used during the reading of the shahada “La Ilaha Illallah”. This is the main prayer-evidence of faith in the One God Allah and his Prophet Muhammad.

Wahhabism and other currents

The gesture in the form of an index finger raised to the sky is not used by all Muslims. It is popular with representatives of some movements of Islam, for example, Wahhabism. This is one of the newest trends, formed around the 18th century. Wahhabis often raise their index finger, emphasizing their commitment to monotheism.

Opponents of the Wahhabis (usually traditional Muslims) do not accept this gesture. Some even argue that it does not refer to religious zeal, but to the worship of Satan. Satanists often have an image of the devil with a similar gesture.

Others believe that it is used by Freemasons.
Source: What does a raised index finger mean among Muslims

What does the index finger raised up mean?

Slavic peoples regard this gesture as a request to pay attention, a desire to interrupt the speech of the interlocutor, or to emphasize, pause (depending on the text). If the index finger is brought to the chin, this may mean that the person is listening carefully and thinking, and if brought to the lips, then the request to silence the interlocutor. In Muslim countries, this gesture of the right hand denotes monotheism "There is no other God but Allah." In France, you can ask the waitress for another glass of wine with this gesture, in Germany - "Everything is fine", "Excellent". In American schools, this gesture is analogous to a raised hand in a lesson in our schools, if you want to give an answer. Well, if you shake your raised index finger from side to side, then this is almost everywhere perceived as denial, disagreement, "No!".

Vladimir09854

Every nation has its own ideas about this.

For example, among the Slavic peoples, a raised index finger can mean that the interlocutor wants to interrupt you in order to say something.

This may be an objection.

This may be attracting the attention of the interlocutor (for example, a teacher at school when the children are furious in class). It could be a swear word, like nununu! Or maybe just an indication of the direction up. It all depends on the context that accompanies this gesture. This is about the Slavs.

In the Muslim world, this gesture means only one thing:

And there is also the meaning of this gesture in the dance "Lezginka":

And now a little humor on this topic.

Andrew1961

It is not difficult to meet people with a raised finger in the photo, what does this gesture mean, what is the trend? Somewhere they even interpret it as a sign taken from Satanism. But the most plausible explanation is quite simple. For Muslims, this gesture carries the expression, God is one, like the index finger. The gesture used by one people has a different meaning for another people. In the Philippines, this gesture would mean that you evaluate the person with whom you communicate below yourself and the gesture serves to humiliate the person. In the picture, the gesture does not carry anything bad.

Most likely, such a gesture means that the person thought about it and came up with something. Perhaps a person was visited by an idea that he really likes. In general, the index finger up can mean anything, it all depends on the situation.

Question to Muslims and to those who know. What does a raised index or ring finger mean?

3. Imran's family
In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Merciful
1. Alif. Lam. Mime.

2. Allah - there is no deity but Him, the Living, the Sustainer of life.

3. He sent down to you the Scripture with the truth to confirm what was before him. He sent down Taurat (Torah) and Injil (Gospel),

4. who used to be a guide for people. He also sent down the Difference (Quran). Verily, those who do not believe in the signs of Allah are destined for severe torment, because Allah is Mighty, Capable of retribution.

5. Verily, nothing is hidden from Allah, neither on earth nor in heaven.

6. He is the one who shapes you in the wombs in whatever form he pleases. There is no deity but Him, the Mighty, the Wise.

7. He is the One who sent down to you the Scripture, in which there are clear-cut verses that constitute the mother of the Scripture, as well as other verses that are allegorical. Those whose hearts deviate to the side follow the allegorical verses, wanting to sow confusion and achieve an interpretation, although no one knows this interpretation except Allah. And those who have solid knowledge say: “We believed in him. All this is from our Lord.” But only those who have reason remember the edification.

What is this thumbs up symbol?

It is clear that the meaning of the symbol depends precisely on which country and which finger is used. And here there are a great many options: from greetings and approval to indecent analogies.

The index finger of the right hand, raised up, among Muslims is a symbol of the proclamation of monotheism, that is, translated into Russian it means: "There is no God but Allah!".
In Germany, this gesture says: "Everything is fine."
In Slavic countries, the index finger raised up means a call for attention from others, and in American schools, students thus ask the teacher for permission to answer a question.
If at the time of the conversation you raise your index finger up and shake it from side to side, then the interlocutor of almost any nationality will understand this as a rejection of the offer or unwillingness to discuss the topic.

What are we talking about with a thumbs up?

The symbol - connected forefinger and with the rest raised up, means in America and most European countries: "Everything is fine!". But in Brazil and Turkey, such a gesture will be perceived as an insult.

True, in Turkey and the Arab countries, such a gesture is, and in Greece, a demand: “Shut up!”.

Most common symbol

The thumbs up is also raised in other cases. True, not one, but two: we are talking about the V-shaped sign known in Europe with the index and middle fingers of the hand.

It was introduced during the Second World War to denote victory, and since then this gesture has become very popular. True, for the British, one nuance is important in it: which side is the palm turned to the speaker at this moment. If with the back, then it is: “victory” (“victory”), but if with the palm, then its interpretation becomes offensive.